Kingdom Hearts II Retold
by hIkArI1001
Summary: Feng, Sora, and the gang are back and traveling the worlds on a new journey. However, they wake up in a strange world with no memories of how they got there. And who are Roxas and Shen? There are plenty of questions to be answered in this new installment of the Kingdom Hearts Retold saga!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I couldn't wait anymore, so I'm putting this up now. I hope you all enjoy this, because it's been my favorite story to write. So enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the characters and stories I created. Kingdom Hearts belongs to Square and Disney, Final Fantasy belongs Square, and all Disney characters and locations belong to Disney.

The First Day

"_You could sleep through the end of the world."_

"_You shouldn't joke like that."_

"_Sorry, guys. I couldn't get to sleep last night. I can't wait to see new worlds!"_

"_No!"_

"_Guys! Promise we'll find each other!"_

"_We have to!"_

I woke up with a start. Another dream about her… that girl. Who is she?

I opened my window and looked out over the town as the train station bells rang out, symbolizing another day of glorious summer. I watched as a train passed by. I quickly jumped up out of bed, getting dressed for the day.

I wore my usual attire. A white vest pulled over a purple tee shirt, white shorts with purple details, white and purple sneakers, my "X" charm choker, and my white hairpins. I pulled my black hair up into it's usual ponytail, and I was ready to go.

I ran quickly to get to the Usual Spot, where Hayner, Olette, and Pence were in a heated conversation, while Roxas just sat there.

"Man, doesn't that tick you off?" said Hayner, the blonde leader of our group,

"Yeah, that's just wrong," said Pence, the street-smart one. Anything you could ask about Twilight Town, he'd know.

"Seifer's gone too far this time," finished Olette. She was the level headed one who kept us all out of trouble. They looked over at Roxas and I, and Roxas nodded.

"Yeah," I said. "Seifer and his group of idiots are always wrecking things."

Hayner jumped off his seat. "I mean, it's true that stuff's been stolen around town. And we've got a score to settle with Seifer and everything. So if he wants to think we did it, I can't really blame him. See...that's not what really bugs me. What really bugs me is that he's goin' around tellin' everybody we're the thieves! Now the whole town and their mothers are treating us like the Klepto Club! Have you ever been this ticked off before in your life? 'Cause I haven't. Nuh-uh, never. Now...what to do?"

Olette, who obviously didn't know what to say, looked over at Roxas. He just shrugged.

"Uh...well... We could find the real thieves. That would set the record straight," he suggested.

"Hey, that sounds fun!" Pence said.

"What about Seifer?" Hayner asked.

Roxas and I stood up and Hayner crossed his arms.

"First, we gotta clear our names. Once we find the real culprit, everyone  
>will get off our backs," I said.<p>

Hayner growled quietly. He hated it when I sided with Roxas.

Okay, so I guess that I should explain the love triangle. I'd had a crush on Roxas for as long as I can remember. We grew up together, and I just got used to him over time. On the other hand, Hayner also had a crush on me. He always was trying to get my attention by letting me win at Grandstander and the like. It was exasperating sometimes, but it was nice to be appreciated.

"Oh no! They're gone!" We looked at Pence, who was holding a camera. "Our _ are gone!" Pence's hand rose to his throat; he was surprised at his inability to say the word.

"What?" I said, puzzled.

"All our _, gone? Huh?" Hayner mimicked Pence's actions.

"Huh? You can't say _? Why not?" said Olette, who was now as confused as everyone else.

"But you do understand what I'm saying, right? Our _ are gone!" said Pence.

"Stolen... And not just the _. The word _! They stole it too!" exclaimed Roxas.

"What kinda thief is that? Seifer could never have pulled that off." said Pence.

"And someone else could?" I said.

"Alright, time for some recon!" said Hayner.

Hayner, Olette, and Pence ran off. Roxas and I began to follow, but then I became dizzy. I looked at Roxas, and I could see he felt the same.

"Huh?" he said.

Roxas fell over. It was obvious that he had blacked out, and I was beginning to feel the same. Somewhere, I heard a voice say "Not again!"

"Their hearts are returning. Doubtless they'll awaken very soon." said a voice. 

I woke up and stood, dusting myself off. Suddenly, I was pulled into a surprise hug by Roxas.

"Phew. I'm glad you're okay," he said. "You were out longer than me. What just happened?"

I began to speak, but Olette returned. She saw us and blushed.

"Roxas, Shen, come on," she said sheepishly. She then ran off.

Roxas released me, realizing what we looked like. The two of us ran to catch up to the group in the Tram Common, and Hayner spotted us. He didn't look angry, so I guessed that Olette had kept what she had seen to herself.

"Over here!" Hayner called out.

Roxas and I approached our friends, who stood in front of the Armor Shop.

"Let's get this investigation underway," said Pence.

"Yo, Roxas. Never thought you'd do such a rotten thing…," said the shopkeeper. I couldn't believe this! We didn't do it!

"We didn't steal anything, all right?" said Roxas.

"I'd like to believe you, but...Who else would steal that stuff?"

"What stuff?"

"As if you didn't know. Hey, I'm not gonna tell you. Go ask at the accessory shop."

We turned around and spotted the accessory shop.

"Go on, Roxas-ask her," said Hayner.

Roxas went to talk to the Accessory Shop owner. I followed, much to Hayner's chagrin.

"Oh, it's you, Roxas...Shen...Please don't let me down. You used to be my favorite customers."

"We aren't thieves!" Roxas protested.

"Okay…," said the owner.

"It's no fun having everyone suspecting me, ya know," Roxas said.

"Yeah. There's no way we would ever do anything like that!" I added.

"Then you've got to find a way to clear your name. The woman at the sweet shop is pretty disappointed, too."

The five of us looked to the sweet shop.

"Roxas? Have you seen my cat around?" asked the woman.

"Er…," said Roxas.

I looked up and saw the cat on the awning above us. I told Roxas, and he retrieved the cat.

"Thank you, Roxas," the woman said.

"Did they steal something from you, too?" Roxas asked.

"Oh, my, yes. Something important."

"Just so you know, we didn't do it," I informed her.

"I believe you."

"Thanks for that, ma'am. So what did they take from you?" asked Roxas.

"My _. My precious _."

"Looks like the culprit is going around stealing _. And not just _, but the word _, too," noted Hayner.

"This isn't your average thief…," Pence added.

"I wonder if Seifer would know anything about this." said Hayner.

"We gotta talk to him. C'mon, to the sandlot!" said Roxas.

We ran to the Sandlot, where we found Vivi, Rai, and Fuu talking. Vivi noticed us and stopped talking, making them turn around and face us.

"Thieves," remarked Fuu, who tended to talk in single-word sentences.

"That was low, y'know!" said Rai, a musclehead with an annoying catchphrase.

Vivi, a new kid trying to get stronger by hanging around Seifer's gang, A.K.A the Twilight Town Disciplinary Committee, simply shook his head.

"Oh yeah?" said Hayner. I facepalmed. What kind of comeback was that?

Just then, Seifer walked up to his group.

"Nice comeback there, blondie," said Seifer.

"What'd you say!?" asked Hayner.

"Seifer, you're blond," I said.

"Whatever. You can give us back the _ now." Seifer said.

"Yeah! You're the only ones who would take it, y'know?" said Rai.

"That was undeniable proof that we totally owned you lamers. So what did  
>you do? Burn it? Ha, not that we need some _ to prove that you're losers," said Seifer.<p>

"Replay!" said Fuu.

Seifer laughed. "Now you're talking!"

Seifer, Vivi, Fuu, and Rai all got ready to fight. Hayner followed suit.

"I guess if you get on your knees and beg, maybe I'll let it slide," smirked Seifer.

Roxas and I moved closer to Seifer's gang, making them laugh. Seifer crossed his arms, and Roxas and I moved to kneel.

"Roxas! Shen!" Hayner shouted.

Roxas quietly picked up the Struggle Sword. I chose the Struggle Wand. Roxas and I rose, sinking into a fighting stance.

"Oh, I see! C'mon then, I'll take you both!" Seifer shouted.

"Roxas, Shen, focus!" said Pence, cheering us on.

"Kneel, losers!" Seifer shouted at us, swinging his weapon. I blocked it, allowing Roxas a chance to strike.

Roxas and I fought well together. We were in perfect sync. Suddenly, a thought flashed into my mind. A massive purple suit of armor…

Seifer's Struggle Bat connected with the side of my face.

"Shen, are you okay?" Roxas asked. I nodded.

"What the heck, man? She's a girl!" shouted Hayner.

"She asked for it," said Seifer.

Roxas knocked Seifer back, where I hit him in the back with my wand.

"Come on... quit playin' around and fight!" said Seifer.

Roxas and I ran toward Seifer, swinging at him. He took it and tried to retaliate. I slid under his legs, jumped up, and hit him in the back of the head. He stumbled forward, and Roxas hit him over the head, defeating him. Rai and Fuu moved to guard him.

"Seifer's not feelin' so hot, y'know! And that wasn't fair!" said Rai.

"Cheaters," said Fuu.

"He asked for it," I replied.

"Tournament decides," said Fuu. My jaw dropped. She said more than one word!

Pence took out his camera to take a picture of Roxas and I. He gave us the thumbs up when a white thing with silver markings and a zipper for a mouth appeared out of nowhere and stole the camera. The thing fled toward the Tram Common.

"What was that?" asked Hayner.

"The thief!" said Olette.

Roxas and I chased after the creature. Another one soon appeared next to it. "I'll chase that one," I told Roxas; he nodded. I chased the creature down the Back Alley into the Usual Spot.

"Now I've got you, you… thing! Give back the _!" I said.

"The Superior has great things planned for you," said a voice.

More creatures emerged, and surrounded me. I got my Struggle Wand ready, and swung at the nearest creature. My weapon flew right through the thing.

"Not good!" I said, backing up to the wall. Suddenly, a bright light flared from my hand. When I looked back at my hand, I held a massive black and white key-shaped sword.

"The Keyblade," I whispered. Huh? How did I know what it was called?

I tested the weapon on the nearest creature. It exploded into monochromatic sparks. I quickly attacked and defeated the rest of the creatures. I defeated the final creature, and it dropped a bunch of photos.

"The photos!" I said, realizing that I could say the word. I suddenly became dizzy again, and I soon blacked out.

I woke and sat up. Roxas attacked me with a hug again, and I returned it, blushing. I saw Hayner get steamed, and Pence and Olette giggled furiously. Roxas helped me up.

"Are you okay?" he asked me.

"I'm alright," I assured him, dusting myself off.

"What's this?" asked Hayner, changing the subject.

"I was his first customer after he took over the shop. So we took a picture together," said Roxas.

"It's a really nice photo. Oh...!" said Olette.

"Hey! You just said 'photo'!" realized Pence.

"So, Roxas-tell us about the picture thief," said Hayner.

"Not much to say. The pictures were just lying there," said Roxas. I could tell that he was lying, but I didn't know what happened to him.

"What about you, Shen? How did you end up blacked out here?" Hayner asked me.

"I remember coming in here after I thought I saw another thief, but when I came in the photos were just here. Then I tripped on this pipe," I said, lying as well. I kicked the pipe to the side.

"Then how do we prove we weren't the ones who took 'em?" Hayner asked.

Hayner picked up another picture and chuckled.

"It's a girl…," he observed.

"That's Shen. Her hair is down," said Pence. Hayner stopped chuckling.

"You look happy, you guys," said Olette.

"Olette…," I warned.

"Do not," said Roxas.

"So, like, anybody else notice that all the stolen pictures are of Roxas or Shen? Or both?" noted Pence.

"Ohh. So that's why everyone thought it was us," said Olette.

"You mean Seifer didn't go around accusing us after all?" asked Hayner as if he still didn't believe it.

"Are they really all of us?" asked Roxas and I in unison.

"Yep," Pence confirmed.

Pence held out the picture in his hand.

"See?"

"Look!" said Olette.

"Right? Every single one. Wouldn't it be weird if the thief wanted to steal the real ones or something?" wondered Pence.

"C'mon, get serious. Why would anyone wanna steal a bonehead like Roxas?" said Hayner.

"Oh, thanks! And what about Shen?" Roxas said.

"Of course people would want to steal me. I'm amazing," I replied.

We all laughed as the train station bells rang and the train passed overhead. We all looked up at the tracks. Hayner, Pence, and Olette left the Usual Spot, Olette waving the whole way. Roxas and I decided to leave after a bit. We walked side-by-side, enjoying the sun. However, it suddenly got far brighter, and Roxas and I held out our hands to block the sun. Suddenly, I heard a voice.

"Where...am I?" it asked.

"Who's there?" I responded.

"Who are you?" the voice asked.

"Restoration at 12%," said the computer.

The man in the black coat walked up to DiZ, who was sitting at a computer desk in  
>front of many lit screens.<p>

"Organization miscreants... They've found us," said DiZ.

"But...why would the Nobodies steal photographs?" asked the man.

"Both are nothing but data to them. The fools could never tell the difference. We are running out of time. Naminé and Meiyou must make haste."

_She woke up, and looked at the people around her._

"_What? I thought there was only one Keyblade!"_

"_I guess you thought wrong."_

_She tripped over the dog, the duck, and the boy._

"_Hey, why don't you come with us? We can go to other worlds on our vessel."_

"_You should go with them. Especially if you want to find your friends."_

"_Donald Duck."_

"_Name's Goofy."_

"_I'm Sora."_

"_And I'm Feng."_

I jumped awake in my bed. This Feng girl… she had the Keyblade.

Keyblade.


	2. Chapter 2

True Name

As I walked to the Usual Spot, I heard Roxas talking. I stopped and watched him.

"A Keyblade…," he said.

Roxas picked up a stick leaning against a wall and swung it around like it was a weapon. A Keyblade.

"What was that about?" he asked. He tossed it over his head, and it hit someone wearing a black coat. The man seemed familiar. But what was with that outfit? It was hot out.

"Oh!" exclaimed Roxas. The person walked away down the stairs.

"Sorry... about that…," Roxas apologized.

I emerged from around the corner. "Roxas, what do you know about the Keyblade?" I asked.

"Me? What do you know?" he replied.

"I summoned it. Yesterday. I fought the other thief. I've tried to get it to come back, but it won't," I told him.

"Me too! Have you been having dreams about a boy named Sora?' he asked.

"Yeah. And Feng?" I asked.

"Yeah. But...let's keep it to ourselves, okay?" he said.

I nodded. Roxas and I walked into the Usual Spot and saw Hayner, Pence, and Olette already sitting and enjoying some sea-salt ice cream. Hayner offered Roxas and I some.

"Thanks," we both told him.

"Do you guys think we'll always be together like this?" asked Pence.

Roxas sat down, and I sat next to him. Hayner growled slightly.

"I sure hope so," said Olette.

"Huh? Where did that come from?" questioned Hayner.

"Oh, well, you know. Just thinking out loud," Pence said.

"Well, I doubt we can be together forever. But isn't that what growing up's all about? What's important isn't how often we see each other, but how often we think about each other. Right?" said Hayner.

"Get that off a fortune cookie?" Pence laughed.

"That's it, no more ice cream for you! Man, today's turning out to be a drag," said Hayner.

"Maybe because of yesterday's memory thief," said Olette.

"Nuh-uh. You know what it is? We don't want summer vacation to be over. That's all! So, how about this?" Hayner said, standing up. "We all go to the beach! And why do we go to the beach? Because we haven't gone once this entire vacation! Blue seas! Blue skies! Let's just get on the train and go!"

We said nothing, but we all stood up too.

"No? Aw, c'mon!" said Hayner.

"Maybe you forgot, but we're broke," Roxas pointed out.

"Maybe you forgot I'm smart!" said Hayner.

"You sure about that?" I said.

"Oh, so we've got a comedian here, huh?" said Hayner.

The rest of the group, except Roxas and I, ran out of the Usual Spot. Pence suddenly ran back in.

"Hurry up you guys!" he told us.

Roxas and I met up with the others in the Back Alley outside the Usual Spot.

"We're going to Market Street!" Hayner told us.

We went to Market Street. Roxas and I found them reading a poster on the wall about The Struggle.

"Just two days to go. Two of us have to make the finals! That way, no matter who wins, the five of us split the prize!" said Hayner.

"Okay, you're on," said Roxas.

"You can count on it!" I told him.

"You guys are gonna clean up!" said Pence.

"Go get 'em!" cheered Olette.

"It's a promise! Now, let's get down to business. One ticket to the beach is 900 munny. How much for four of us?" said Hayner.

"3600 munny," figured Olette.

"And 300 each to spend there. What's that for all of us?" asked Hayner.

"1200 munny. A total of 4800 munny," said Olette.

Pence put his hands behind his head.

"To spend on what?" asked Roxas.

"Pretzels, of course! What else is there?" said Hayner.

"Well, there's always watermelon," said Roxas.

"Too pricey. They're, like, 2000 munny apiece," said Hayner.

"What about those cucumber sandwiches? I love those," I said.

"I guess you could get one. But you'll have to get a bit extra. They cost 400," said Roxas.

"Aw, gross. Cucumbers," remarked Hayner.

"Pretzels it is," said Roxas.

"So, where were we?" asked Hayner.

"We need 4800 munny altogether. But all we have is…," said Olette

"I've got 800," said Pence.

"650," added Olette.

"I've got 200," I said.

"150. Sorry." said Roxas.

"That's 1800 munny! We need another 3000. Let's find ourselves some odd jobs and earn some dough! We have 'til the train leaves to earn 600 munny each!" said Hayner running off. "Meet at the station with cash in hand!"

"Didn't he say he had it covered?" asked Pence.

"Whatever. Those pretzels are sounding pretty good," Roxas said.

"I'll earn an extra 100 for that sandwich," I said.

I managed to get a job hanging posters for the Struggle. It took a while, but soon I had earned 800 munny. More than enough.

"All present and accounted for?" asked Hayner.

"What've we got?" asked Pence?

"Let's see…," said Roxas, pulling out some munny. "Just this."

"Good job," said Hayner.

"Nice work, everyone. Added to what we started with, we now have…," said Olette, showing us the munny pouch she made with the munny inside it. "Tada! 6000 munny!"

"Sweet!" said Hayner.

Olette gave the bag to Roxas.

"Let's get tickets!" she said.

Olette and Pence ran ahead into the station, but Hayner remained.

"We can't be together forever... so we'd better make the time we do have something to remember," he said.

"Huh?" Roxas and I questioned.

"Gotcha!" said Hayner. He jokingly punched Roxas in the stomach and joined the other three. Roxas and I followed, but he suddenly tripped.

"Whoa!"

A small stick dropped to the ground. Hayner, Pence, and Olette stopped, and Hayner  
>stepped back down the stairs a bit. Roxas grunted slightly, rising to his knees as he touched his lip. The man in the black cloak stood beside him.<p>

"Huh?" asked Roxas and I.

The man picked Roxas off the ground and whispered something to him. Then he turned to me.

"What?" asked Roxas.

"Roxas! Three minutes!" shouted Hayner.

I looked back and Roxas said "Okay!"

Roxas and I looked back to the figure, who was gone. We caught up to our friends in the station, as Hayner held up five fingers at the teller.

"Five students!" he said.

"Roxas, the money!" Pence said.

"Wait-," Roxas said, searching himself for where he put the munny pouch.

"No!" he said.

"Huh?" asked Hayner.

Roxas and I looked back out toward the plaza and I remembered the man in the coat picking him up.

"He took it!" we both said.

Roxas ran outside, and I followed.

"Where are you going?" Olette asked.

"Remember when I fell? I had the money before that. I bet that guy took it!" Roxas explained.

"Guy?" Hayner asked.

"He couldn't have gotten too far…," I told Roxas.

"What are you talking about? There was no guy," said Hayner.

The train station bell rang.

"Huh? But he... There wasn't... Really?" Roxas asked, confused. I was confused too. I knew that guy was there.

The train whistle blew, and we realized that we had missed the train.

"Oh boy…," Pence said.

"There wasn't anyone...there?" Roxas said, looking at me. I shrugged.

Hayner, Pence, and Olette left Roxas and I at the Station. Later, we ate sea-salt ice cream on the clock tower ledge. I stared at the train, deep in thought, while Roxas sat, thinking, his ice cream dripping.

"It's melting," said Olette to the both of us.

"Sorry," Roxas said.

"Cheer up already!" demanded Hayner.

"That was definitely weird, though," said Roxas.

"Tell me about it," I said.

"Strange," said Olette.

"You said it," said Hayner.

"Can you feel Sora?" Roxas whispered under his breath.

"Sora, Feng...who are you?" I whispered.

"Restoration at 28%," said the computer.

"Naminé, hurry," said DiZ.

The man in the coat juggled the munny pouch while DiZ remained fixed on the computer screens.

"Is it really that hard to make a beach?" asked the mystery man.

"We'd be giving the enemy another entry point," replied DiZ.

"And this?" asked the man, holding out the munny pouch.

'We can always buy some sea-salt ice cream," said DiZ, laughing. The man simply juggled the pouch again.

"Objects from that town must be kept out of the real world. You can delete that," said DiZ.

"_As the key bearers, you must already know one must not meddle in the affairs of other worlds."_

"_So many places I want to see... I know I'll get there someday."_

"_Thus, I hereby dub thee junior heroes."_

__"_Hey! What do you mean 'junior heroes'?"_

"_You rookies still don't understand what it takes to be a true hero."_

"_I...I wish... ...for your freedom, Genie."_

"_Al!"_

"_Sally, why didn't I listen to you?"_

'_Don't feel bad, Jack. We'll come up with another plan for Halloween.  
>Next time, we'll do it together."<em>

"_Or are you too cool to play them now that you have those Keyblades?"_

"_Riku! What are you doing here? Did you find her?"_

"_Did you...feel the same as I did? When we first met? Like we had some sort of connection?"_

"_Yeah. That's why I had to see you,"_

"_I still can't believe it. We really flew. Wait 'til we tell Kai-,"_

"_You think she'd believe us? Sh- might. She's into strange stories like this."_

"_We're searching, too."_

"_For your light? Don't lose sight of it."  
><em>  
>"<em>Sora, where are you going?"<em>

"_I'm gonna go look for my friends. They're waiting for me."_

__"_Stop acting as if you care! You would have remembered us when we first saw each other in that whale if you cared about the either of us!_

"_It wasn't because I wanted to. It wasn't because I used you! It wasn't my fault!"_

"_Who are you?"_

The next day, Roxas and I walked into the Usual Spot and found a letter on the couch. It read ,"Meet at the station. Today's the day we hit the beach-and don't sweat about the munny! - Hayner"

Roxas and I ran quickly to Market Street, where we ran into Pence and Olette.

"Hey," said Roxas and I.

"Morning," said Olette. Suddenly, the two of them froze.

"Huh...?" Roxas said.

We ran up to them, but two girls stopped us. One was blonde and wore a white dress and sandals. She had deep blue eyes. The other had white hair and grey eyes, and wore a white, sleeveless turtleneck, white pants, and plain white shoes.

"Hello, Roxas, Shen," the blonde one said.

'Uh... Hi... And you are...?" said Roxas.

The girl held up a hand to quiet him. "I wanted to meet you at least once. And she wanted to meet you, Shen," she said.

"Us?" Roxas asked her.

"Yes, you."

Roxas scratched his head and the two girls walked away. Pence and Olette unfreezed.

"Olette dragged me along to go shopping," Pence said.

"Hey, you wanna come with us?" Olette asked.

"Um, uhh, wait... did you just see that…?" Roxas asked them. Roxas said, looking in the direction the girls went.

"He's stalling," Pence accused.

"Very well, then. We'll see you guys later, okay?" said Olette.

"Y-Yeah…," said Roxas.

"See ya later," I told them as they left. Roxas and I looked back in the direction that the two girls had gone.

"Did they go to that haunted mansion?" Roxas asked.

"It looks that way. Should we go after them?" I asked him.

He nodded, and we ran to the Tram Common and spotted the girls. We ran through the whole in the wall after them, and entered into the Woods. A dark cloud appeared and some of the creatures from before emerged and tried to pull us into it.

"Let go!" Roxas shouted. We got away, and ran back to the Tram Common, the creatures following closely. We soon made it to the Sandlot, where the Disciplinary Committee was hanging around.

"Look. It's chicken wuss and his little girlfriend," said Seifer. I began to blush. Suddenly, the creatures entered the Sandlot.

"Who's that?" asked Fuu. She and Rai sunk into a fighting stance while Vivi just ran away.

"I dunno, but they've already crossed the line. Find a weapon!" ordered Seifer.

Roxas spotted a Struggle Bat and rolled, successfully grabbing it. He tried to fight off the creatures, but he was thrown down; the bats still had no effect on the monsters. He stood and helped me get back up. I noticed that Seifer, Vivi, Fuu, and Rai were completely frozen.

"Not good…," said Roxas.

"You can say that again," I said. The creatures got closer and closer.

"Use the Keyblade!" I heard the girl's voice say. I looked up and saw the two girls on a building overlooking the Sandlot. A creature attacked Roxas, who jumped in front of me and blocked with his hands. Yet again, I blacked out.

I woke up on a glass platform. It pictured a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. Feng. A sword, shield, and staff appeared in bursts of light. I chose the wand, and the Keyblade appeared in my hand. The creatures, which I decided to call Dusks, stormed the platform. I swung the Keyblade at the first, then spun around and hit the second. I hit a third, then threw the Keyblade at the last one. A treasure chest appeared and I opened it, finding a Potion. A mysterious door appeared at the other edge of the platform. Suddenly, I heard a strange voice.

_Be careful. Beyond that door lies a completely different world. But don't be afraid._

I walked toward the door.

_Don't stop walking..._

I opened the door and ended up on a similar platform of glass. I climbed the stained glass stairs, fighting Dusks along the way. Eventually, I came to another door. I entered, and arrived at the original glass platform. There I found a large creature that looked similar to the Dusks.

I began to fight the creature. It swung it's hands at me, but I avoided them. Then it fired lasers from the tips of it's scarf-like appendages. I blocked them, then got in close and struck several times with the Keyblade. The creature, which I called the Twilight Thorn, slammed down it's fists, shattering the platform into pieces. I jumped from piece to piece like a ninja, launching myself toward the Twilight Thorn. Finally, I reached it and attacked. It dodged and then attacked me. I spun out of the way, flinging the Keyblade at the Twilight Thorn. The creature exploded into blasts of massive grey sparks, rocketing me toward the darkness below me.

As I was being pulled into the darkness, a hand reached out for me. I grabbed it, and I was pulled into a white room. The girl with the grey eyes stood before me. I opened my mouth to speak, but she shushed me.

'My name is Meiyou. Shen... Do you remember your true name?" she asked. My true name? What did she mean?

The man in the coat came, and grabbed Meiyou by her arm.

"Stop. You can't say anything else."

"She must know. You know you want her to." What were they talking about?

"She mustn't know the truth. It's better that way."

"You're the guy who stole our munny!" I said.

The man held out his hand, and a dark portal appeared behind me. I tried to jump away, but the man pushed me, and I flew into it.

I woke up next to Roxas in the Sandlot.

"Seifer, strike a pose, y'know?" said Rai.

"How's this?" asked Seifer.

"That's totally perfect, y'know!" replied Rai.

I looked up and I saw Fuu take a picture of Seifer posing in front of us. Rai and Vivi stood next to her. She was taking the picture with Pence's camera.

"How 'bout one more, y'know?" said Rai.

Roxas stood and then helped me up.

"What's that for!?" he asked the group.

"Keepsake," said Fuu.

"Those freaks in the white jumpsuits are gone, y'know!" Rai informed us.

"Cakewalk," said Fuu.

"What were those things?" Roxas asked. I was wondering the same thing.

"Outsiders, that's what," said Seifer. Roxas just shook his head.

"And if they don't wise up to the rules around here, I might have to take 'disciplinary measure'," continued Seifer.

"Oh yeah, Seifer's always lookin' after the town, y'know?" said Rai.

"More like beating the snot out of the town," I replied.

"Aw, look at the little girl, trying to stand up for her boyfriend," said Seifer. I tried to stop the blood from flooding my cheeks, but the blush came anyway.

"Aw, she likes him, y'know," said Rai.

"Happy couple," finished Fuu. I ran off as I began to tear up. Roxas called out to me, but I kept running. I ran past Hayner, Pence, and Olette, who tried to stop me. I ran straight to the Usual Spot, and I sat there and cried.

After a while, Hayner, Pence, and Olette came back with some ice cream. When they asked me if I was alright I lied and said yes. They gave me an ice cream, and I sat and ate it in silence.

Soon Roxas arrived at the Usual Spot.

"So...you hung out with Seifer's gang today?" Pence asked.

"N-no... It's not like that... Oh yeah! How was the beach? Wasn't that today?" asked Roxas.

"We didn't go. It wouldn't be the same without you, right?" said Olette.

"Sorry. Hey...how 'bout we go tomorrow? We could get those pretzels and…," said Roxas.

"I promised I'd be somewhere," said Hayner coldly.

"Ohh... Oh!" said Roxas, remembering the promise the three of us had made.

"_Two of us have to make the finals! That way, no matter who wins, the five of us split the prize!"_

"_Okay, you're on."_

"_You can count on it!"_

"_You guys are gonna clean up!"_

"_Go get 'em!"_

"_It's a promise!"_

For a few moments, everyone was silent. Then Hayner bolted up.

"I'm outta here," he said, walking off. Pence and Olette left behind him, leaving me and Roxas alone.

"Are you mad too?" he asked me.

"Yes. But not at you. The thing with Seifer and the others wasn't your fault. But when they said those things, I was so embarrassed," I admitted.

"Do you really like me?" he asked.

I blushed. "Yes. Okay, I said it. I'll go die now," I said.

"No, wait. I...I like you too," he admitted.

"What? Really?" I asked, dumbstruck.

"Yeah," he said. For a moment, we were silent. Then he held out his hand. "Let's go home," he said. he helped me up, and we walked home, hand in hand.

Computer: Restoration at 48%.

DiZ sat at the computer. The man in the coat stood behind him.

"Was that Naminé made of data?" asked the man.

"No. Naminé hijacked the data herself. Look what she's done now... She's totally beyond my control!" said DiZ, slamming his hand down on the desk.

"Calm down."

"It doesn't matter. As long as Naminé accomplishes her goal we needn't worry about what befalls Roxas."

"And Shen?"

"She isn't the real thing. The sooner she's back, the better."

"_I'm sorry. Light!"_

"_But I'm not gonna betray Sora and Feng, either."_

"_All for one and one for all."_

"_My friends are my power!"_

"_We add their power to our hearts, and with that it becomes the strongest thing you have."_

"_My mind might have, but my heart could never forget."_

__"_So, your heart won this battle."_

"_It is I, Ansem. Lead me into everlasting darkness!"_

"_Feng!"_

"_Sora!"_

"_Forget it! There's no way you're taking Kairi's heart!"_

"_Kairi."_

_We may never meet again, but we'll never forget each other._

_No matter where we are, our hearts will bring us together again._

"_For the connections between all of our hearts."_

"_Take this. It's my lucky charm. Be sure to bring it back to me."_

"_Don't worry. I will."_

"_Promise."_

"_For a promise to keep."_

I woke up and looked out of the window. The sun shone through the window, and the ringing bells reminded me that I still had things to look forward to.

"Roxas."


	3. Chapter 3

I ran to the Usual Spot, hoping to meet everyone there before the tournament. Unfortunately, no one else was there. I turned to got to the sandlot when Roxas ran into the Usual Spot. He saw me and blushed.

"Hey," Roxas said, smiling.

"Hi," I said. I was slightly embarrassed. But it was in a good way.

"C'mon! We're gonna be late!" said Roxas.

"I hope we don't have to compete," I told him.

"Me either. But I think we'll be okay," he said, taking my hand. We quickly ran out of the Usual Spot, and encountered the shopkeeper from the Armor Shop.

"Hurry to the sandlot! You're gonna be late!" he informed us.

Roxas and I rushed to the Sandlot, where many people were gathered. They were excited for the tournament.

"Who you gonna root for?" Pence asked Olette.

"All of them, silly," Olette replied.

Fireworks went off up in the sky and the crowd cheered.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Struggle fiends of Twilight Town! It's time for summer's most sizzling clash! That's right! Today is the day for the Struggle and title match! Who will be the one to break through the ranks and take on our champion, Setzer!?" exclaimed the tournament producer excitedly.

"Seifer, y'know!?" shouted Rai.

I thought.

"And who will leave today as our new Struggle Champion!?" the producer asked.

"Hayner! Roxas! Shen!" shouted Pence and Olette. Everyone else in the croud cheered excitedly for Setzer.

"Yes, the crowd is fired up, so you know what comes next: Let's…," said the producer.

"STRUGGLE!" finished the crowd.

More fireworks went off. The announcer stepped off of the stage so that the commentator could begin.

"Hey, now. It's time to introduce today's combatants! The bad boys and fierce females who struggled their way through the preliminaries!

Regular finalist and head of the Twilight Disciplinary Committee: Seifer! Completely out of nowhere-who knew he'd make it so far this year? Vivi! An underground favorite and local attitude problem: Hayner! It's his first trip to the finals! The charming and handsome leading man: Balthier! A boy who hopes of travelling near and far: Vaan! A proud young woman of royal descent: Ashe! A girl with eyes on the prize and a strong arm: Shen! And Struggler number 8, who happens to be one of my absolute favorite customer: Roxas!" said the announcer, giving us each a little intro.

Hayner looked at Roxas and I. Roxas returned his gaze and I waved, but both Roxas and Hayner looked away solemnly.

"So-who will win this sweltering summer Struggle!? Who will take home the grand prize? The summa cum laude of Struggle- the Five Crystal Trophy! AND...a chance to take on our defending champion, Setzer!" said the announcer. Setzer held up the championship belt, a gold thing with five gems; four in the corners, and one in the center on the hand that held the Struggle Bat.

"It won't be long now, folks. I suggest our challengers go over the official Struggle Rules before we begin!"

The announcer explained the rules. Each of us had 100 orbs. We had to knock orbs off of our opponents to score, and the person with the most orbs when time was up would win the round.

After the rules, Roxas and Hayner were paired up first. I began to get nervous. Who to cheer for?

"Hey...Sorry about yesterday," I heard Roxas say to Hayner.

"What, you still worried about that? You need to learn to let that stuff go," said Hayner.

"I've got a lot on my mind," said Roxas.

"Sorry, man," Hayner said.

Roxas shook his head.

"Wait, what am I sorry for?" Hayner said. He paused for a moment. "Are you and Shen...you know…"

"Umm, I guess so," said Roxas.

"Oh. Well...congrats," said Hayner, who was a mix of happy and wistful.

He smiled, making Roxas smile as well. Olette and Pence stopped their clapping to smirk at each other. I also smiled.

Announcer: Our first match of today's Struggle tournament will be between Roxas and his best friend Hayner!

"Ready, Roxas?" Hayner said as the battle began.

Roxas swung first, knocking off several orbs and collecting them. Hayner retaliated, swinging upwards powerfully. Roxas tripped, falling and losing more orbs. Hayner had a lot, and things looked bleak for Roxas. He suddenly swung out at Hayner's legs, tripping him up. He fell, and Roxas took the opportunity to collect more orbs. Hayner jumped up, but the timer rang. Roxas had won.

"And the winner is Roxas!" the announcer said, raising Roxas's arm in the air. Roxas waved to the crowd.

"Not even friendship will slow this kid down. And Hayner put up a great fight, too."

Roxas ran over to Hayner.

"I lost. Awww, I can't believe it!" said Hayner, standing up. "I guess I taught you well."

"I had a lot of fun fighting you," Roxas told him.

Hayner smiled, then stopped and crossed his arms. "Yeah, well I didn't, wise guy."

"Hey, let's find a way to cheer you up," suggested Roxas.

"Nah, that's all right," said Hayner, lightly punching Roxas's arm. He left and almost walked into Seifer.

"Out of the way," said Seifer.

"You in a rush to lose?" Hayner asked.

Roxas was startled by the sudden appearance of Vivi by his side. Vivi looked up

at him and giggled.

"Don't mess with your elders," Seifer replied.

Seifer and Vivi waited in the wings while Vaan and Balthier took the stage. Balthier was tall and intimidating. Vaan was pretty puny by comparison, short and flighty. I couldn't help but wonder who would win. In the end, Balthier won the round.

Seifer and Vivi took the stage next.

"Whew, just look at those sparks fly! I guess Seifer didn't expect to fight one of his own boys!"

Seifer and Vivi faced each other down. Then Vivi flew at Seifer, who jumped back. Vivi followed, smashing his bat into Seifer's head, knocking of all but twelve of his orbs.

"When did Vivi get so tough?" Hayner asked.

Roxas shrugged. After a few attempts at hitting one another, Seifer blocked one of Vivi's slashes and knocked him away, knocking off a few of Vivi's orbs.

"You're mine!" said Seifer.

He lunged for the orbs. Vivi came up out of nowhere and slammed his bat into Seifer's back with incredible force.

"I-I'm not sure what just happened... Um...but...the winner is Vivi! In a positively blistering comeback!" said the announcer.

Seifer sat up and shook his head.

"That's not Vivi," he said.

"Huh?" asked Roxas.

"Thrash 'im." Seifer, Fuu, and Rai left the Sandlot.

"It looks like Seifer's withdrawn from the Struggle for seventh place," said the producer.

"So I'm in seventh now? Aw, baby!" said Hayner.

"It's only seventh," I told him. "It isn't like you got third or something."

I took the stage opposite Ashe. When our round began, I instantly swung at Ashe, hitting her in the hip and collecting several of her orbs. She tried to retaliate, but I was faster and avoided her attack. I slid under her legs, jumping up and striking her in the back. I now had most of her orbs, so I quickly performed an upward slash, knocking off the rest. I collected the orbs, and the battle ended.

After the battle, I joined Roxas in the wings as the semifinals began.

An uneventful battle between Roxas and Balthier began. Roxas employed his usual bashing and dodging technique, and he won in a short match.

Then Vivi and I fought. Vivi definitely was

normal. He hit me, and I literally flew across the stage. Most of my orbs were gone already, but I ran forward to strike. Vivi delivered another blow, and I was done. I looked at Vivi, who giggled viciously. I joined Hayner, Pence, and Olette in the crowd, and prepared for the finals.

The producer handed Roxas and Vivi each a Struggle Bat.

"Keep it clean, fellas," he told them. Roxas and Vivi stared each other down as the producer left the stage.

"And now, the match you've been waiting for: Roxas vs. Vivi!"

Roxas battled Vivi. He was doing better than I could. As he went in for one last strike, something stopped him.

"Roxas!" I shouted. "Time stopped again!"

Roxas had noticed that everything was frozen in time. Vivi suddenly turned into a Dusk, then more appeared.

"Again!?"

His bat turned into the Keyblade, and mine appeared in my hand.

'Again…," I confirmed. I jumped up on stage and helped Roxas fight the Dusks. We were both tired and panting, but we won. Suddenly, a dark portal opened and a man in a black coat stepped out. I could tell by the person's figure that it was not the same man from before.

"Roxas, Shen. All right. Fight fight fight," said the man in the coat, walking closer to Roxas and I.

"You really don't remember? It's me. You know, Axel," said the man, Axel, removing his hood and revealing his flaming red hair and brilliant green eyes.

"Axel?" Roxas and I asked.

"Talk about blank with a capital 'B'. Man oh man, even the Dusks aren't gonna crack these. I thought you'd at least remember the beating you gave me," he said to me.

His weapons, chakrams, appeared in flames and he clutched them in his hands.

"Wait a sec, tell me what's going on!" Roxas demanded.

"This town is his creation, right? Which means we don't have time for a Q & A. You two are coming with me, conscious or not. Then you'll hear the story," he told us.

Axel prepared to fight. The Keyblade suddenly appeared in Roxas's hand, and Axel straightened up.

"Uh-oh."

Roxas sighed and looks at the Keyblade, throwing it to the ground in frustration.

"What's going ON!?" he questioned. I was starting to wonder the same thing. I just wanted my summer to be normal.

The Keyblade appeared back in his hand with a flash of light.

"Number 13. Roxas. The Keyblade's chosen one," said Axel, once again sinking into a fighting stance.

"Okay, fine! You asked for it!" said Roxas.

"Not without me!" I said.

"That's more like it! Let's see if I should still be worried about you," Axel said.

Axel flung his weapons at us. I blocked the both of them, then rushed forward with Roxas. Roxas landed his blow, but mine was blocked. Axel moved to strike Roxas, and I used the opportunity to pull off a combo on him. He was clearly flustered, and he made his chakrams orbit around him quickly, striking both of us.

"Not bad, Roxas. Shen, you're slipping a bit," he said.

Suddenly, another man appeared. He wore red bandages on his face, and he also wore a red cloak. He was tall, and pretty intimidating.

"So it was you," said Axel.

He flung his flaming chakram at DiZ, but it did not make impact.

"This man speaks nonsense!" said the man in red.

"Don't let him deceive you!" said Axel.

Roxas keeled over, gripping his head with his hands. I did the same. I felt as if my head were being split in half. Somewhere in the distance, I heard Roxas screaming, but it was muffled.

I looked up and saw Roxas on the stage. Vivi sat on the ground, looking defeated. time was moving again.

"What? What just happened?" questioned the announcer.

"Huh? ...How did I get here?" asked Vivi.

Hayner, Pence, and Olette rushed the stage, dragging me with them.

"Roxas!" Olette shouted.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Roxas-our new top Struggler!" said the announcer.

Hayner seemed to notice that Roxas and I were a bit distraught.

"Roxas? Shen?" he asked us. the crowd cheered for Setzer once again, and Setzer stood there, basking in the attention

"Roxas! It's starting!" said Olette, pushing Roxas forward.

"You two, play fair now. You're at the top of the bracket," said the announcer.

"There's only room for one up here," said Setzer smugly.

"Well, may the best man win!" said the producer, walking offstage.

"Hey, Rucksack. How about you throw the match for me?" said Setzer.

"Roxas! Focus!" said Hayner. Roxas glared at Setzer.

"Let me win, and I'll make it worth your while," Setzer continued.

"Get real!" said Roxas.

"Stop flirting and start fighting!" I taunted.

"Roxas, our underdog hero, versus Setzer, our defending champion! The winner of this match will be the true champion! That's bragging rights for a whole year, folks!" said the announcer.

"Whatever you think is right, you're wrong. And that is a big mistake. My life's a chip in your pile. Time to ante up!" said Setzer.

Roxas was fighting wildly and powerfully. He did very well, and in the end he beat Setzer in a terrific battle.

"I'm not supposed to lose!" exclaimed Setzer as the crowd began chanting Roxas's name. Setzer walked offstage and pointed back to Roxas. Hayner, Pence, Olette, and I rushed up to Roxas.

"Roxas!" said Hayner.

"You did it!" exclaimed Olette as Setzer stalked off.

"That was awesome, Roxas!" shouted Pence. I simply hugged him, and he returned the gesture, getting us a collective "aww" from the crowd.

Roxas waved to them. The producer presented him with the championship belt. Roxas held it up and the crowd went crazy.

Later, we sat up on the clock tower. Roxas held the crystal trophy in his hands. It shone beautifully in the light of dusk. He took off the yellow crystal and tossed it to Olette. He did the same with the red and green crystals, tossing them to Hayner and Pence. He removed the purple one, and placed it in my hand. He took out his own blue crystal and held it up to the sun.

"As promised," Roxas said.

Pence held out his crystal as well.

"Thanks a ton, Roxas!" he said.

"One more treasure for us to share," said Hayner.

Hayner held out his, and so did I.

"This will remind us of this moment…forever," I said. Olette held up her crystal.

"I've got a present, too...for all of us," Olette said, revealing five bars of sea salt ice cream.

As Roxas leaned over to retrieve his, he fell off of the clock tower. I tried to grab his hand, but I also fell. Time seemed to slow, then everything was black.

On Destiny Islands, the two girls walked down the path to the beach after school, hand in hand.

"Kairi! Shui! Wait up!" said Selphie, who was running to catch up. Kairi and Shui turned around as Selphie caught up.

"Hey, do you feel like going out to the island? Tidus and Wakka are all wrapped up in their ballgame and they won't go with me," said Selphie.

"Not today," said Kairi.

"Sorry," apologized Shui.

"Aw, why not?" Selphie said, bummed.

"Do you remember those boys who used to hang out with us?" said Kairi.

"And that girl?" added Shui.

"Riku? And Shadi? I remember them," Selphie said.

"Yeah."

"I wonder whatever happened to them. I sure miss them." lamented Selphie.

"They went to that special school for smart people," said Shui.

"They're far away. But I know we'll see them again," said Kairi.

"Sure. Of course we will." said Selphie.

"And the other boy? And the girl?"

"What other boy? And a girl? What?" asked Selphie.

"The boy was with Riku and me all the time-we played together on that island. His voice always used to be there...but now it's gone. I can't think of his face, or his name. I feel awful about it. So I told myself-I'm not going to the island until I remember everything about him" said Kairi.

"And the girl. She used to play with Shadi and me. We would eat ice cream and climb rocks. But I can't even remember her name or anything. I decided stay off the island with Kairi until we could remember them. It didn't seem fair to just forget all about them like they never existed," Shui said.

"Are you sure you didn't make them up?" Selphie asked.

"Meiyou?"

Kairi and Shui doubled over. They had both gotten bad headaches.

"Meiyou. What's going on. Why is this happening?"

"Who are you? I'm not this 'Meiyou'. My name is Shui."

"Shui...you're her best friend. You and your brother."

"Who? Please, give me a name!"

"I'm Shen."

"That's great and all, but what is HER name?"

Shui woke up next to Kairi on the ground.

"Are you guys okay? You blacked out at the same time. It was weird," said Selphie.

Kairi nodded for the both of them. The three girls look to the island across the water. Kairi looked over at Selphie and smiled widely, and Shui gave a large grin. The two ran to the beach, with Selphie barely managing to catch up.

"Kairi...Shui…?"

Kairi placed her bag down and pulled out a letter in a bottle. Shui held it on one side, and the two of them flung it into the ocean.

"What's that? Are you guys littering? Or ditching your homework?!" said Selphie.

"A letters...we wrote it yesterday, to them, the ones we can't remember. We said that no matter where they are... we'll find them. One day. And when we stopped writing, we remembered we made promises, important ones. This letter is where it starts. I know it," said Kairi.

"Yeah. They'll get it, and then we'll all remember. We'll keep our promises, no matter what," said Shui.

"Wow... I hope they get it," said Sephie.

"They will," said the girls in unison.

"...starts with an 'S'..."

"...the first letter is 'F'..."

"...right, Sora?..."

"...right, Feng?..."

"Restoration at 79%," said the computer.

DiZ stared at the screens as the mystery man juggled the two crystals. Blue and purple went well together.

"Their progress is astounding," said DiZ.

"So what happened?" the man asked, putting the two small crystals in the munny pouch.

"Naminé's encounter with Roxas put his heart in contact with Kairi's. The same with Meiyou, Shen, and Shui. And that, in turn, affected Sora and Feng. You see?" DiZ said, obviously fascinated.

"Naminé and Meiyou?...They're really something," said the man.

"They weren't born like other Nobodies, or like each other. They can interfere with and even change the hearts and memories of Sora, Feng, and those aligned with them."

"But who were they? Originally?"

"I could tell you...But first, perhaps you could tell me your true name?" suggested DiZ.

The cloaked man took off his hood and showed his face.

"It's Ansem," he said.

"It's an honor, Ansem!" said DiZ, laughing.

I was falling through space, through nothing. I woke up with a jolt.

"If I'm dreaming, which parts are the dream?"


	4. Chapter 4

Nobodies

The train passed over the Usual Spot as the four of us sat. Olette walked up to Roxas and I and put her hands on her hips.

"Only three days left of summer vacation-so don't even mention that assignment!" said Hayner, who was obviously annoyed by the prospect of doing our homework.

"But we agreed we'd get it finished today," said Olette.

"Yesterday... we fell off the station tower, didn't we?" Roxas asked.

"Yeah," I said. "I fell when I tried to catch him, right?"

"You wouldn't be here if you did!" said Hayner.

"But man, that was a close one…," said Pence.

"Stop changing the subject!" said Olette.

"Okay, already! You win. We'll do the homework. Stupid independent study. So, anybody got any bright ideas for a topic?" said Hayner.

"Maybe we could study the stuff that's happening to me. You know, the dreams- and the guys in white…," said Roxas.

"Or how it can't be a coincidence that it's happening to me too," I added.

"Forget it," said Hayner.

"Why?" asked Roxas.

"You know, things have been weird with you and the town since the photos were stolen, right?" Hayner asked.

"Well, tomorrow, we're all gonna search the town and find out what's been goin' on," Pence informed us.

"Lots of people are helping out," said Olette.

"All that for us?" I said, smiling. Roxas brightened up as well, taking my hand.

"Aw. You guys are cute," said Olette.

"You guys look good together," said Hayner.

"I'll go get some ice cream!" said Roxas, leaving the Usual Spot. As soon as he left, Pence and Olette swarmed me.

"Is he a good kisser?" Olette asked.

"What?!" I asked. "No! We...we haven't kissed yet!" I said.

"Don't you dare lie to us," Pence said.

"I'm not!" I said as Roxas came back with the ice cream.

"What are you guys talking about?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing," said Olette, backing away.

"There's this strange rumor going around. Wanna hear it? You know the stone steps at Sunset Station? We use 'em all the time, without even thinking about it. But-and this is the weird part-the steps count different going up and down!" said Pence.

"Seriously!?" asked Hayner.

"And there are six other weird stories like that. It's like...the seven wonders of Twilight Town," Pence said.

"We should investigate those for our school project! Pence, you're a genius!" said Hayner.

"There might be other rumors going around, too. Let's split up! I'm gonna look for the seven wonders…," said Pence.

"Olette and I will go find some new rumors! C'mon!" said Hayner.

"That leaves the three of us," Pence said to Roxas and I. "Let's try the train first. To the station!"

"The time has come! Our hunt for the seven wonders begins!" said Pence once we arrived at the station. Olette and Hayner walked up to us.

"Whoa! Find new rumors already?" Pence asked.

"Nothing on Market Street," said Olette.

"You twerps aren't gonna scoop us. We're going to the terrace with you," said Hayner.

"'Twerps'?" I said. "Do you want me to hurt you?" I asked, cracking my knuckles.

"Hayner, it's not a race!" said Olette.

"Well, it is now!" said Hayner.

"C'mon, we can all go," said Pence. We ran to the train and got on board. It lurched forward, carrying us to Sunset Terrace.

Olette pulled out her yellow crystal and held it up. Hayner and Pence did the same with their own crystals. I reached into my pocket for mine, but the crystal was missing. I looked sadly over at Roxas, who was also missing his crystal. We sat, sadly, as the train came to a screeching halt at Sunset Station. Hayner ran out of the train.

"Olette! Hurry!" said Hayner, running off. Olette ran off with Hayner, and we stopped as Roxas and I stretched.

"Huh. Aren't these the steps you talked about? The ones that count different going up and down?" asked Roxas.

"Umm...actually, it's the stupidest thing ever, but…," began Pence.

"What's the but, Pence?" I asked.

"Rai's the one who counted. He's like, 'Every time I count, it's different, Y'KNOW?' Ha ha ha ha!" he told us.

"And you listened to the bonehead?!" I asked.

Pence nodded.

"Hey, no worries," said Roxas.

We left the station and walked to the terrace.

"Here's a map of all the other wonders," said Pence, showing us the map.

"I'll take 'Friend from Beyond the Wall' and 'The Animated Bag'. Roxas, you get the other two. Afterwards we'll meet on the hill for the 'Ghost Train'." I said.

I made my way to a dead end alley where a ball flew out of the wall toward me. More balls began flying out of the wall, and I had to dodge them. When I got close to the wall, I hit it with my Struggle Wand. For a second, everything went black.

"Oh, it's just you, Shen," said Pence, who had just walked up. "Were you throwing a ball? That ball flew out of nowhere and totally startled me. Hey, I know! This explains one of those seven wonders!" he said, marking on the map.

I walked to Sunset Hill, where there was a strange bag sitting between three garbage cans. I went over to the bag, and it began to jump up and down. I quickly hopped on, and I rode the bag around the hill until it stopped moving.

When this happened, I opened the bag. A dog came out and ran off, passing Pence and Roxas. The two came over to me.

"Oh, it was just a dog. Did you let it out of the sack, Shen?" Pence asked. He marked the map. "Well, that's five of the seven!"

"You know...that last wonder wasn't exactly wonderful," said Roxas.

"I understand, say no more. But this next one's gonna be really great! Wonder number six!" said Pence. Hayner and Olette ran in.

"We got another lead!" said Hayner.

"'The Ghost Train Mystery'," said Olette.

"Everybody knows about Wonder number Six!" said Pence.

"Yeah, well, I didn't," Hayner replied.

"Did you find out where the train runs?" Roxas asked.

"No, but you can see it from here," said Olette.

"If the rumors are true, it'll be here any minute... For they say the train is empty. No driver, no conductor, no passengers... NO RETURN," said Pence. We stood waiting for a while, but we eventually got tired and ended up sitting on the ground.

"We've gotta make it to the beach next year," said Olette.

"Yeah. We better get jobs the second vacation starts," said Hayner.

"We also need to get lots of cucumber sandwiches," I said.

"And pretzels," said Roxas.

"Good afternoon, slackers," said Seifer, who had walked up to us. "What are you doing out here?"

"What do you care?" asked Hayner.

"I don't. Tell me anyway," said Seifer.

"We're waiting for the ghost train," said Pence.

"Waiting for the ghost train!" said Seifer mockingly.

Roxas and I both stood up, annoyed.

"Why does looking at you and your little girlfriend always tick me off?" said Seifer.

"I dunno. Maybe it's destiny," Roxas replied.

"Destiny...In that case, let's be friends. I don't feel like cooperating with destiny," said Seifer. Did he come here to try and befriend us?

"When have you ever cooperated with anything?" asked Hayner.

"Seifer!" said Olette.

"I know. Tomorrow," said Seifer.

"Look!" creid Roxas. We all turned as a mysterious blue and gold train decorated with stars and moons rode through the underpass.

"It's really true... And there's really no one aboard! What's the catch? There's gotta be a catch, right?" I said. Hayner, Pence, and Olette simply looked at one another.

"Then it's real? Let's go to the station!" said Roxas. We ran to the station, and, to my surprise, the train was there when we arrived.

"Let's go in!" Roxas said. The two of us walked forward, but Hayner stopped us.

"What?" Roxas asked.

"Um...you'll get hurt," Hayner replied. Roxas and I looked back at the train, but it had disappeared.

"The train will be arriving shortly," said a voice over the intercom.

The usual orange train pulled into the station. A few passengers, including Fuu and Rai, walked out.

"C'mon," said Hayner.

"A train came from the beach. There was no driver, right?" said Roxas.

"Let's go…," said Pence.

"No! There was a train!" I said.

Roxas held out his hand to Olette, but she shook her head. Hayner groaned and pushed Roxas onto the train, and Pence and Olette pulled me by my hands. The train began to go, taking us back to town.

Later, after arriving back at the train station, we walked toward Market Street.

"Let's go home and work on the paper," said Hayner.

"'The rumors were bogus. The end.'," said Pence.

"We can still make it sound good if we write about all the work we did," said Olette.

"But what about the last one-the seventh wonder?" Roxas asked.

"Who cares?" said Hayner.

"I do. C'mon, Pence," said Roxas.

"I want to go, too," I said.

"Whatever!" said Hayner.

"Roxas...Shen…," said Olette.

"Well, you guys, I know that morale is low, but we really have to pull through to investigate this mansion. For our homework," I said. Pence sighed.

"It's at that haunted mansion," he said. He walked off with Hayner and Olette, leaving Roxas and I to head to the mansion together. We made our way there, making small talk and holding hands.

"You know something…," said Pence, who had come up behind us. We were gonna check the mansion out tomorrow. It IS the most suspicious place."

"Right…," said Roxas. I looked down.

"Even Seifer's gang was gonna help," Pence added.

"Seifer?" Roxas and I asked in unison.

"Yeah, Hayner asked him to," said Pence.

Roxas looked up to the dusty window of the mansion. Naminé was standing in the window.

"So, what're we lookin' for?" Roxas asked.

"Well, they say there's a girl who appears at the second floor window even though no one's lived here for years. And the weirdest part is that, sometimes, it isn't even the same girl," Pence informed us.

I looked at the window, and, as I did, I felt something shift. Now, I was standing in a white room. The room was a bedroom, but everything was pure white. Meiyou stood near the bed.

"Hello, Shen," she said.

"Hi. What am I doing here?" I asked.

"Don't you want to know the truth about who you really are?" she asked me.

"How would you know more about me than me?" I asked.

She sighed, and pulled out a picture. It was a drawing of four figures.

"You know who they are, right?" she asked.

"Yeah. Feng, Sora, Donald, and Goofy. They're from my dreams," I replied.

"About a year ago, some things happened, and I had to 'rewrite' Feng's heart. But now I'm fixing it. It's taken me a long time, but pretty soon Feng and the others will bethe same as they were before. The process has been affecting you and Roxas."

"The dreams."

"Exactly. You and Feng are connected. And in order for Feng to become completely whole again, she needs you."

"Me? What for?"

"You hold half of what she is. Without you, she isn't complete.

"Who are you, Meiyou?"

"I'm an old friend. Of Feng, that is. And I have power over people's hearts."

"This is strange. Suddenly, I feel like I don't know myself at all. I guess I would like to know. What do you know about me that I don't know?"

"You aren't supposed to be here. Aren't supposed to exist," she said.

"What? How could you tell me something like that?"

"I guess you weren't ready yet."

"Shen!" I heard Pence call.

"What is it?" I said.

"Did you see her?"

"Yeah. Look at the window," I said.

Apparently, Roxas saw something too, because he pointed up to the é was gone, and Meiyou wasn't there.

"Oh, lame. That's just the curtains moving. There must be a draft somewhere. I'm surprised this old place even has curtains," said Pence.

"Yeah…," Roxas said.

"Well, let's head back to the usual spot. Hayner and Olette are waiting," Pence said.

We walked back to the Usual Spot in silence. When we arrived, Olette looked up at us.

"Hey guys, how'd it go?" Olette asked.

"The girl in the window turned out to be a curtain flapping in the wind," said Pence dejectedly.

"I figured as much. The report's already done," Olette told us.

"All right!" Pence exclaimed.

"So, wanna go find Hayner? He's probably at the station," Olette said.

"You know...we only have two more days together," said Olette.

"Huh?" Roxas asked.

"Summer vacation, remember?" said Olette.

"Oh...right," said Roxas. The three walked to the station. We found Hayner on the ledge of the clock tower, eating ice cream.

"Tomorrow we search the town," said Hayner.

"Next day's the fair," said Pence.

"The last day of summer," said Olette.

"Don't say that! You'll give me an ulcer!" said Hayner.

"Not if you explode from all that ice cream first," said Pence.

Everyone but Roxas and I laughed as the bells rang. We weren't in much of a laughing mood.

Ansem found DiZ sitting in an old wooden chair in the dilapidated dining room.

"Why did you show them the train?" Ansem asked.

"Because they missed the trip to the beach," DiZ replied.

"Hmph...that's almost kind of you," said Ansem sarcastically.

"Now...what about you? Are the holes in your memory starting to fill in?" asked DiZ.

"Yes...the haze is clearing," said Ansem.

The same thing is happening to everyone who had ties to Sora, or, especially in your case, Feng. Very soon, to them, they'll be like good friends who have gone away for a year," said DiZ. Ansem sat in the chair opposite DiZ.

"I've waited, and now I want to know. What is it that you want?" asked Ansem.

"Revenge."

"Revenge…"

Now, for the finishing touches. First, we must dispose of Naminé. Meiyou too. They've done an excellent job, but it's high time they disappeared. Roxas and shen aren't the only ones who were never meant to exist. Take care of it, Ansem."

"Restoration at 97%."

Gawrsh, is that all that's left of the worlds taken by the Heartless?

Those worlds will be restored if we beat Ansem, right? But, if we do beat him and all these worlds become restored and disconnected, what's gonna happen to this place? And to us?

All worlds begin in darkness, and all so end. The heart is no different. You see, darkness is the heart's true essence.

That's not true! The heart may be weak. And sometimes it may even give in. But I've learned that deep down, there's a light that never goes out!

That light is fed by the lights of those around us. And it can lead us out of the darkness, no matter how deep we fall.

Kingdom Hearts! Fill me with the power of darkness!

You're wrong. I know now...without a doubt…

...that Kingdom Hearts…

...Is light!

Now, Sora, Feng! Let's close this door for good!

I understand. Please, just bring him back, okay?

It's a promise.

For a promise to keep.

Well, now what do we do?

We've gotta find Riku, Shadi, and King Mickey.

But, uh, where do we start lookin' for that there door to the light?

I...wish I had the slightest clue.

Pluto?

Gawrsh, that's the king's seal!

Hey, have you seen King Mickey?

Let's go!

You know, she looks like you. Or you look like her.

Shut up and go away.

She has the x-blade. I want it.

I don't care!

I was awoken by the sound of clanging metal.


	5. Chapter 5

Awakening

I got out of bed and stood up. I felt dizzy. I got dressed and headed down to the Usual Spot. I ran into Roxas outside.

"Hey," I told him.

"Hey," he said simply.

"Couldn't sleep?" I asked.

"Nope," he responded. We walked into the Usual Spot together.

"Hey guys," I said to Hayner, Pence, and Olette. They simply continued talking.

"Guys?" Roxas asked. He reached out to shake Hayner's shoulder, but his hand sailed through Hayner.

"Huh?" Roxas asked.

We both took a step back as they laughed. It was as if we didn't exist. The three turned to leave, and they walked right through us. Roxas stopped and sighed as he closed his eyes. He picked up a picture of Hayner, Pence, and Olette; we used to be in it. I followed Roxas out of the Usual Spot, and Axel appeared with some Dusks. What I took note of was a second person next to Roxas.

"Look at what it's come to. We've been given these icky orders to destroy you-if you refuse to come back with us," said Axel.

"Who is that?" I asked. The second figure was a woman; she had brown hair and black eyes.

"I'm Arxien. Got it memorized?" she said.

"Hey, now. That's my catchphrase," said Axel.

"We're...best friends, right?" said Roxas.

"Sure...but I'm not getting turned into a Dusk for...Wait a sec! You remember now!?" said Axel.

"Y...eah," said Roxasl.

"Great! But, you know, gotta make sure and all. So, umm... What's our boss's name?" asked Axel.

"Xemnas," I said.

"He wasn't asking you," said Arxien.

"So, you remember. Why doesn't he?" Axel asked.

"But I do," Roxas protested.

"All right, then. Who assigns the missions?" Axel asked Roxas.

Roxas didn't respond.

"Can't believe this," said Axel.

Roxas and I summoned our Keyblades, defeating the Dusks around us. Roxas didn't seem to remember the truth, but it was coming back to me in bits. When the Dusks were gone, Axel summoned his chakrams and Arxien summoned a pair of clawed gauntlets. The two began to attack, but then they froze.

"Roxas, Shen, to the mansion! The time has come!" said a voice.

"Hayner! Pence! Olette!" Roxas cried. We ran to Market Street, headed to the Woods and the mansion. We arrived, but the gates were locked tight.

"Don't call me and then lock me out…," said Roxas. In my memory, I saw Sora and Feng using the Keyblade to lock the Keyholes.

"Roxas, use the Keyblade!" I instructed Roxas as I began to fight the appearing Dusks. Roxas stepped back from the gate and unlocked it. The gates opened, and we ran inside. The Dusks tried to follow us, but someone in a black coat with a sinister-looking sword appeared and held them off.

Roxas and I entered the mansion.

"Roxas, I'm gonna look for the room I saw yesterday," I told him.

He nodded, walking off. I roamed the mansion until I found the white bedroom. It was empty, but there were more drawings on the bed. One of them was of me, DiZ, and Xemnas. My head began to hurt, and I gripped my head. I felt myself slipping, and then I blacked out.

"So, why don't you join me. You have no heart; I can give you one," said Xemnas.

"No," I said.

"You must join us. I can give you a name and a purpose."

"I'm afraid you cannot have her. I will give her a name," said DiZ, who had stepped out of a corridor of darkness.

"And here I thought you despised us. Does she tug at the strings of your heart?" asked Xemnas.

"At least I have strings for her to tug. I need her to complete the process."

"But a heart is only a cage," said Xemnas. "And I am free. But, if you want her, go ahead. I already have a Keyblade wielder."

When I came to, Meiyou was standing over me.

"Organization XIII. They're bad news, aren't they?" I asked her.

Not all of them. Their leader, maybe. Most of them are just incomplete people who wish to be whole. To that end, they're desperately searching for something," she responded.

"What?"

"Kingdom Hearts."

"I know what it is you're going to ask me. You want to know what's going to happen to you now. Will you die? Will you cease to exist? Well-" Meiyou said. She had begun to fade in and out, and then she completely vanished. DiZ took her place.

"You hate me, don't you?" I asked him. "I look so much like her, but I'm not. I can never be her. So you hate me. Feng is your daughter, but she doesn't know. She did, but know she doesn't. And you hate me for it. Because I remember that, but she can't,"

"Silence! There's no knowledge that has the power to change your fate," said DiZ.

"Even if there isn't, I wanna know. I have the right to know!"

"A Nobody doesn't have a right to know. It does not even have the right to be. And yet it is, just to spite me," said DiZ.

"But what IS a Nobody!?" I asked him. Next to him, another person appeared. It was the hooded figure who fought of the Dusks.

"DiZ, we're out of time. Too many Nobodies!" said the figure.

Behind DiZ, a portal opened, revealing Meiyou.

"Shen, don't listen to him! Nobodies like us are only half a person. You won't disappear. You'll be whole!" she said.

"I know! Feng needs me!" I told her.

"No further outbursts! Go, you foolish thing!" DiZ said.

"Roxas too! You'll both be-," said Meiyou before being cut off by DiZ.

"Leave her alone!" I shouted. I ran to the portal and tried to enter, but the hooded figure blocked my way.

"Shen," he said, but I elbowed him in the stomach and got closer to the portal.

"Shen, stop! We're going to meet again. I'll be with you, but you won't know it. And one day we can meet, face to face. We may not look the same as we do now, but we will meet again. Someday soon. I promise!" said Meiyou as the portal faded.

I ran from the room and entered the library, and I met Roxas.

"Namine," he said.

"Don't worry. We'll see them again," I said.

He grabbed a crayon and drew a crown symbol on the table. The floor below us opened, revealing a secret area. We walked into another basement room and found a large set of monitors and an odd machine. Roxas doubled over, clutching his head. He was remembering something, so I let him be and examined the monitors.

They held various information about Sora and Feng's restoration. They were both at 99%, and I assumed that the remaining 1% was Roxas and I. Other than that, the screens showed the vitals of the two, as well as Donald and Goofy. Their restoration was already complete.

Roxas's headache stopped, and he stood up, angry. The Keyblade appeared in his hands, and he began to destroy the computer. I decided to let him him vent his anger.

Once he was done, a door opened. Roxas and I stepped through, entering the hall. We were immediately surrounded by Nobodies. Roxas and I defeated them easily. Axel and Arxien walked in.

"Wow, guys. That was amazing," Axel said.

"Axel...Arxien…," said Roxas.

"You really do remember me this time? I'm SO FLATTERED," said Axel. He caused the room to erupt into flames. The flames separated Roxas and I. I was face to face with Arxien.

"So, you're her Nobody," said Arxien. "You know, you've got quite the reputation in the Organization. You were able to defeat Xemnas alone."

"Oh, yeah, Xemnas. How's his sorry ass? It's been a while since I last kicked it," I said.

"You sound a bit like her when you talk that way," Arxien said.

"Well, we are a lot alike," I said.

"I've been instructed to bring you back at any cost," said Arxien, summoning her gauntlets.

She charged at me as the battle began. She was able to blind me, making me vulnerable to an attack. She appeared to be proficient with darkness, transforming her claws into various shapes and sizes.

After a while, I delivered the final blow to Arxien. She fell to the the ground.

"Do you remember our talk?" she asked me. I did.

"Please join us. We need you. We have so much we can offer you," Arxien told me.

"You don't need me. You've got a Keyblade wielder already," I told her.

"Please...I...I need you."

"I...I'll miss you...and I'll miss her...but now...I can see her again…," Arxien said.

"I'm sorry this happened," I said.

"No, it's okay. I'll see you again...sometime," she said.

"Yeah. I'm sure of it," I told her.

"Yes. Not like this...and we may not know it...but we will," said Arxien as she faded into darkness.

The fire died, and I saw Roxas. Just Roxas.

"Did Axel…?" I asked. Roxas simply nodded. Another door opened, and we walked through it into a white hallway lined with pods. Only two were occupied.

"It's Donald and Goofy," I said, smiling. Roxas was smiling too.

"Come on," I said. "It's time."

We entered another room that was also completely white. DiZ stood in front of Sora's pod, apparently waiting for us.

"At last, the Keyblade's chosen ones," he said.

"Who are you talking to? Us? Or Sora and Feng?" Roxas asked.

"To half of them, of course. You reside in darkness. What I need is someone who can move about the realm of light and destroy Organization XIII."

"Why? Who are you?" I asked.

"I am a servant of the world," said DiZ, laughing dryly. "And if I'm a servant, then you should consider yourself a tool, at best."

"Was that... Was that supposed to be a joke?" asked Roxas, summoning the Keyblade. "'Cause I'm not laughing!"

"Roxas, stop!" I yelled as Roxas ran forward. He swung the Keyblade at DiZ, but it simply went through him, creating waves of data. Roxas stood straight up, surprised.

"My apologies. This is only a data-based projection," said DiZ. Roxas screamed in anger, continuing to strike DiZ with the Keyblade. DiZ vanished and reappeared behind him when Roxas stopped to catch his breath.

"Come, over here," said DiZ. I walked over to Roxas, who simply stared at DiZ

"I hate you so much…"

"You should share some of that hatred with Sora. He's far too nice for his own good."

"No! My heart belongs to me!" cried Roxas, slashing through DiZ once again. DiZ disappeared as the two capsules behind him began to glow. Each pod opened to reveal what was inside. Roxas and I held hands.

"Sora…"

"Feng…"

The two, still sleeping, floated inside.

"You're lucky. Looks like our summer vacation…," Roxas began.

"...Is over," I finished.

Feng?

A/N: We're finally getting back to Feng! I'm so excited! I hope that you guys are as excited as I am! Besides that, I've begun work on BbS Retold, so you guys can look forward to that too. You'll learn a lot from it, and everything will make sense. So, I'll let you read. See you guys soon!


	6. Chapter 6

The New Journey

_Who's there?  
><em>

"Feng!" I heard Goofy shout.

"Feng, get up!" said Donald.

I woke up, stretching slowly. That was when I realized that I was floating. I also realized that my clothes were tight. I floated lightly to the floor of the pod I was in, then I hopped out onto the floor.

"Sora! Donald! Goofy!" I shouted. The three of them looked at me. Donald and Goofy ran to hug me, but Sora just stared.

"What?" I asked him. "Is there something on my shirt?" I looked down to check, and that's when I realized what he was staring at.

I had a chest.

"What's wrong, Sora?" Goofy asked.

"Feng's got...she's got…," Sora said.

"Yes, Sora. I've got boobs now. Can we focus on something else?" I said. Jiminy hopped out of Sora's hood and yawned.

"That was some nap!" said Jiminy.

"You mean, we were asleep?" asked Sora.

"I guess we musta been, or I don't think we'd be so drowsy…," said Jiminy.

"When do ya think we went to sleep?" asked Goofy.

"Uhh…," said Goofy.

"Let's see...we defeated my dad…," I said.

"Yep," said Goofy.

"We restored peace to the world...found Kairi and Shui... Oh yeah, and then we went to look for Riku and Shadi. I think that's right so far," said Sora.

"Then what?" asked Donald.

"What does your journal say, Jiminy?" asked Goofy. Jiminy took out his journal.

"Gee, there's only one sentence... 'Thank Naminé.' Hmm... I wonder who that is," said Jiminy.

We all looked at each other and shook our heads.

"Some journal that is," grumbled Donald.

"Well, what do ya say we find out where we are!" said Jiminy. We left the white room and entered the hallway, where we saw Donald and Goofy's pods. Past there was a room with a smashed computer, and them a dining room. We then entered a large foyer, before finally exiting the building, which was a mansion. We left and entered the woods, and then we made our way to a town.

"You know, I think I've been to this town," said Sora.

"You too?" I asked.

"What's it called?" asked Donald.

"Hmm... Guess I must've imagined it," said Sora.

"Are you sure?" I asked. "I remember it too."

"Oh, well," said Sora. We had found a small room beneath the tracks. Three kids sat in the room, clearly extremely bored.

"What do you want!?" asked a slightly buff blonde.

"Uh, nothing. Just wondering what was back here," said Sora.

"Now you know. This is our spot," said the blonde.

"Wow. Rude much?" I said.

"Umm…," said a pudgy kid with black hair.

"What?" Sora asked.

"You're...new around here, right? I'm Pence," said the kid, Pence. 

"Hayner. Nice to meet you, but we got stuff to do, so catch ya later," said the blonde, exiting the Usual Spot.

"My name's Olette. Hey, did you finish up the summer homework, yet? Independent studies are the worst, huh?" said Olette?

"Homework?" asked Sora. He looked at Donald, Goofy, and I, who simply shrugged. I never had homework.

"Hey, what're your names?" Pence asked us.

"Oh, sorry. We're Sora, Feng, Donald, and Goofy." I said.

"Hey there," Sora said.

"Nice to meet you," I told them.

"Sora, Feng, Donald, Goofy...we just met someone who was looking for you," Olette told us.

"He sure seemed in a hurry. He had a black coat on so I couldn't see his face, but he had these big round ears," said Pence, drawing the circles in the air.

"The King!" said Donald.

"He might have Shadi and Riku with him!" I said.

"Where'd you see him?" asked Sora.

"At the station," said Pence.

"The station! Thanks!" said Sora.

"Well, we'd better get back to that assignment," said Olette.

"Later," said Pence. The two left the Usual Spot.

"Oh boy! The King's trying to find us!" said Donald.

"Yeah, let's get to the station!" said Sora.

On the way to the station, we found a sandlot. There were a handful of people there.

"Hey you, where'd you come from?" asked a blonde guy.

"Uhh…," said Sora.

"You here to pick a fight with us or something?" asked the same blonde guy.

"Fight? We're not here to fight," said Sora.

"Yeah, you big palooka!" said Donald.

"Okay, smartalecks... Time to teach you how to behave in my town. Bring it!" said the blonde guy. He and his two friends sunk into a fighting stance.

"Man, what a jerk," said Sora.

"And I thought that Hayner kid was rude," I added.

Donald nodded and the three of us also took a fighting stance.

"One moment!" said a voice. It was a man in a green sweater. If you're gonna fight, why not make it a proper Struggle?"

"What?" asked Seifer.

"You see, Seifer... I'm a really big fan," said the man.

"Wh-what do you want?" asked Seifer.

"In other words, I want to see more of your "super cool" moves!" said the man. "You handled the tournament with real style, and you absolutely dominated the title match. But I just can't get enough. Don't you see? The matches are far too short!" He turned to Sora and I.

"And what are your names?" he asked Sora and I.

"Sora," Sora said.

"I'm Feng," I said.

"Sora, Feng, if you wanna fight a match, you just say the word," said the man.

We continued to the station. When we arrived, the white creatures with zipper mouths appeared, and we began to fight them off. They were weak, but more and more began swarming us.

Suddenly, the King appeared on the ledge of the station. The creatures moved to attack, and Sora and I held up our Keyblades. Mickey swooped down and destroyed the remaining creatures with his Keyblade.

Sora and I looked at the King, amazed. Suddenly, Donald and Goofy jumped on top of Sora and I.

"Your Majesty?" said Donald.

"Shh! You gotta board the train and leave town! The train knows the way," said the King. He took out a pouch and threw it to Sora. 

"Here," said Mickey, running off to Market Street.

"Your Majesty…," said Donald.

"The King... Was that really him?" asked Sora.

"It coulda been... Yep, I know it was!" said Goofy. 

"Who else has big round ears and a Keyblade?" I asked.

"Now we know he's okay!" said Donald.

"The King was locked in the realm of darkness, right?" asked Sora.

"Uh-huh," said Goofy.

"But we just saw him…," said Sora.

"Yep," said Donald.

"And if the King is here, that means Riku and Shadi are here!"

"They've gotta be!" said Donald.

"Naw, really? I wouldn't have guessed," I said.

"How long are you gonna be sarcastic?" asked Sora.

"Well, I have a lot of sarcasm saved up from when we were sleeping," I said.

"Well, me and Feng are gonna go look for Riku and Shadi. Then we can go back to the islands together. Kairi and Shui are there waiting for us! What are you two gonna do?" Sora asked.

"Gawrsh, Sora. Do ya have to ask?" said Goofy. Sora laughed

"Hey! What's so funny!?" asked Donald.

"Your face!" said Sora. Donald and Goofy looked at each other and laughed.

"What do ya say, guys? Let's stick together for one more journey," said Sora.

"Of course," I said. "We're all going to the same place," I said. Donald and Goofy nodded. 

"To...where again?" asked Sora, placing his hands behind his head.

"We hafta board the train!" said Goofy.

"Oh yeah," said Sora. Donald sighed.

"C'mon!" I said. The four of us ran into the station.

"Wait up!" said Hayner, who ran up to us with Pence and Olette in tow. "Hey, Sora…"

"What?" asked Sora.

"Nothing, but…," said Hayner.

"We came to see you off. It just seemed like something we oughta do," said Pence.

"Oh...really? Thanks!" said Sora.

"What's wrong?" I asked Hayner. "Too cool to care?"

"No!" said Hayner quickly, blushing.

"You should hurry and get your tickets," said Olette.

"Right," said Sora. He took the pouch of munny that the King gave him out of his pocket. Olette gasped.

"What is it?" Donald asked Olette. She took the same pouch out of her pocket.

"They're the same," said Goofy.

"Yeah," said Olette. Sora looked at both pouches and shrugged.

"Four tickets, please," said Sora

"I can't help feeling like we won't see this town again…," said Sora.

"Me too. It's strange," I said.

"Why not?" Donald asked us.

"You're thinkin' too much," said Goofy.

"Yeah, you're right!" said Sora. We got ready to leave, walking over to the train.

"Okay, let's go!" Sora said. Donald and Goofy nodded and entered the train ahead of us, waving.

"Hey, Sora, Feng. You sure we haven't met before?" Hayner asked us.

"I'm sure that I'd remember someone rude like you," I said. Hayner turned red.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay!" he said.

"Fine. Apology accepted," I said.

"Why do you ask?" Sora asked. 

"I dunno," Hayner replied.

I found myself smiling, and Sora was doing the same. Tears filled my eyes, and a tear ran down Sora's cheek. The other three were surprised, and so were we. Sora brushed his tear away and I blinked the tears from my own eyes.

"Huh?" Sora asked.

"You okay?" asked Hayner.

"Y-yeah. Don't know where it came from," said Sora, and I nodded.

Hayner chuckled. "Pull it together."

"Right... See ya," said Sora.

"Bye," said Hayner, blushing slightly and waving at me. Pence and Olette laughed softly.

"Cut it out!" Hayner yelled at them. I waved back to him, and so did Sora as we entered the train. We waved again as the door closed. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and I looked outside as the train rolled on.

Sora took out the King's pouch and stared at it. He removed two crystals. He kept the blue one, handing the purple one to me. We held them up to the sun.

"You know…," said Sora as Donald and Goofy sat down. "I'm sad."

"We'll be back," said Donald.

"Yeah. We can visit Hayner and those guys again," said Goofy.

"I'm kinda looking forward to it," I said.

"You like Hayner, don't you?" Sora asked me.

"No!" I said. "I feel like I know them really well. Besides, I'm waiting for Riku!"

"I hope we find him. And Shadi and the King, too," said Sora.

"I'm sure we will," I said.

Soon, the train pulled up to the base of a mysterious tower, emblazoned with moons and stars, just like the train. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and I left the train, and it disappeared, leaving only the tracks behind. Sora laughed nervously. 

"There goes our ride...," he said.

"It IS magic," I said. "Maybe it'll come back."

We turned to the tower, and we saw someone at the tower's door.

"What's goin' on?" Donald asked.

"I sent some of my lackeys inside to see if the master of this here tower's as big and tough as they say. Word is, he's a real powerful sorcerer. Which would make him the perfect bodyguard for me. See, it don't matter how tough he is-once he's a Heartless, he'll do as I say!" said the figure who stood at the door.

"A Heartless?" asked Donald.

"That's right. They're those things that come outta the darkness in folks' hearts. Why, with all those Heartless at her side, my dear friend Maleficent is gonna conquer everything! And since I got me a debt to pay, I'm goin' 'round to a bunch of different worlds and buildin' an army of Heartless, special for her. Why am I talkin' to you pipsqueaks anyway? Go on, scram! I'm behind schedule as it is," said the figure.

"You oughta find somethin' nicer to do," said Goofy.

"Says who?" said the figure, turning to look at us. "Wha...AAAH! It's you!"

"Pete!" said Donald and Goofy.

"What are you two nimrods doin' here!?" asked Pete.

"What are YOU doing here?" asked Donald.

"You know him?" Sora asked.

"We sure do! Pete's been causin' trouble for ages! His Majesty banished him to another dimension a long time ago. I wonder how he escaped," said Donald.

Pete laughed. "You wanna know how, eh? Well, Maleficent busted me out, that's how! And  
>now your world-no, no, no, all the worlds-are gonna belong to yours truly. Cause Maleficent's gonna help me conquer 'em!"<p>

"Maleficent...huh?" Sora asked.

"She's gonna help you conquer worlds?" I asked. The four of us giggled.

"What are you laughing at!? Why, Maleficent's power is so great-" said Pete.

"She's toast!" said Sora.

"Huh?"

"Sorry, but Maleficent can't help ya now," said Goofy.

"Whaddaya mean!?" asked Pete. Donald snickered.

"You! So you're the ones that did it!" Pete accused.  
>"Well...we mighta had something to do with it," I said.<p>

"Heartless squad! Round up!" said an angry Pete.

Pete summoned several Shadows, but Sora, Donald, Goofy and I quickly took them all out.

"You just wait! Nobody, and I do mean nobody, messes with the mighty Pete!"

"So, "mighty" Pete, who lives in this tower, anyway?" asked Sora.

"Oh, ya don't know, eh?" asked Pete.

"Master Yen Sid lives here," said Donald, running up the steps and into the tower.

"Yen Sid is the King's teacher!" said Goofy.

"Wow. Sounds powerful!" said Sora.

"Maybe he can help us find the King, or Riku, or Shadi, or all of them!" I suggested.

Sora, Goofy, and I followed Donald into the tower. We began to climb the stairs, but Heartless appeared. We fought them off, but more and more appeared as we made our way to the top of the tower.

"Heartless, Heartless, Heartless! Things haven't changed one bit!" complained Donald.

"Well, it's a good thing we're on the job, then," said Goofy.

"Well, we ARE the best in the business," I said.

"So the worlds aren't at peace after all?" asked Sora.

When we got to the room at the top of the tower, we saw an old man sitting at a desk.. Donald and Goofy bowed to him.

"Master Yen Sid! It's an honor!" said Donald.

"Hey there!" said Sora.

"It's nice to meet you," I told him. Donald and Goofy looked at us, shocked.

"Sora! Feng! Show some respect!" Donald yelled, but Yen Sid waved him away.

"So, you are Sora and Feng. Now then, have you seen the King yet?" Yen Sid asked.

"Yes, we did, Master. But we didn't get a chance to talk to him," said Goofy.

"Yes...the King has been quite busy of late. Therefore, it would seem that the task of instructing you falls upon my shoulders. You have a perilous journey ahead of you. You must be well prepared," said Yen Sid.

"You mean...we have to go on another quest? Feng and I were looking forward to finding our friends Riku and Shadi, so we could go back home.

"Yes. I know. However, everything in your journey is connected. Whether you will find your way home... Whether you will return alone or with your friends... And, whether or not home will still be there. And you are the keys that connect them all, Sora and Feng," said the Master.

"I'm...a key?" Sora asked.

"And me?" I added. Sora and I summoned our Keyblades.

"Chosen wielders of the Keyblade! You are the keys that will open the door to light," said Yen Sid.

Sora and I nodded. Yen Sid looked to Donald and Goofy, who quickly stood up straight and nodded. Yen Sid waved his hand, and a book appeared. It was thick and very old, with yellowed pages. It settled on the edge of the table, opening.

"This book contains valuable knowledge you will need for your journey. Study it carefully. Once you have finished, we will speak of the enemies you will surely confront," said Yen Sid. Sora and I read the pages.

"But wait a sec-how come the Heartless are still running around?" asked Sora.

"Yeah. We beat Maleficent and Ansem, so why are there still Heartless?" I asked.

"Your past endeavors did prevent an immense effusion of Heartless from the great darkness; make no mistake about that. However, the Heartless are darkness made real-and darkness lingers yet in every heart. The Heartless are fewer. But while darkness exists in a single heart, it will be difficult to eliminate them," said Yen Sid. The four of us sighed.

"Gawrsh, that must mean...if everybody's heart was full of light, them Heartless'd go away!" said Goofy. Yen Sid nodded.

"But no one's heart has been full of light since before the two brothers," I said.

"Yes, that is true as well," said Yen Sid. "But that does not mean that the purity of the heart cannot be reclaimed. But now it is time to speak of the enemies that you will encounter." Yen Sid summoned an image of Donald, which then became a Shadow.

"If one such as you, Donald, yields to the darkness in their heart, they too will become a Heartless. But you know this. The Heartless are always lurking and ever seeking to capture new hearts. Never let your guard down! Now then…," said Yen Sid, waving his hand again. This time, one of the white creatures from Twilight Town appeared.

"At times, if someone with a strong heart and will-be they evil or good-becomes a Heartless, the empty shell they leave behind begins to act with a will of its own," said Yen Sid.

Yen Sid: An empty vessel whose heart has been stolen away... A spirit that goes  
>on even as its body fades from existence-for you see, Nobodies do not truly<br>exist at all. Nobodies may seem to have feelings, but this is a ruse-they  
>only pretend to have hearts. You must not be deceived!<p>

"Nobodies... They don't exist…," said Sora. The Shadow vanished and more Nobodies appeared.

"Now then...the being you see before you is known as a Dusk. They are the most common form of Nobody. But there are others-some larger, some with frightening and unique powers. Be vigilant! On your journey, you will meet an alarming number of Dusks. They will all attempt to do you harm," Yen Sid explained, dispelling the images. "Still, they are nothing but empty shells, destined to return to the darkness. But-"

This time, images of figures in black coats appeared.

"The beings you see before you now are different," said Yen Sid. "These powerful Nobodies have formed a group called Organization XIII. It commands the lesser Nobodies."

"Organization XIII…," I mumbled.

"While Heartless act on instinct, Nobodies function in a higher manner. They can think and plan. And it seems they are working towards a goal. What that goal is, we do not know. The King sensed the danger, and journeyed forth to fight it," said Yen Sid. "He found the dark realm's Keyblade, and with it, closed the door. Now he's traveling from world to world, fighting the Heartless as he seeks the answer to the riddle of the Nobodies and Organization XIII." The hooded figures vanished.

"Then I guess we better go find the King first!" said Sora.

"But where could he be?" asked Donald.

"Well, we won't know 'til we look," said Goofy.

"Yeah. And the King must know where Riku and Shadi are, 'cause the three of them were together in the realm of darkness when we closed the door. You know, after defeating Ansem," said Sora.

"Master, I've got a question," I said.

"Yes, Feng?" Yen Sid said.

"Sora's Keyblade is tied to the realm of light, and the King's is tied to the realm of darkness," I said. "So, what about mine?"

"Well, there is a third realm that separates light and darkness. That realm is the Realm of In-Between. That realm is equal parts light and darkness, much like you. This tower and Twilight Town are both in the Realm of In-Between," said Yen Sid.

"Oh. So, my Keyblade and this realm and me are where light and darkness meet? We stand between the two forces?" I asked.

"Yes. Exactly," said Yen Sid.

"So, before you go, you will need more suitable traveling clothes. Those look a bit too small for you," said Yen Sid. I looked at my shorts, noticing how they were a bit TOO high. 

Yen Sid motioned to a door. "Through there, you'll find three good fairies. If you ask, they'll create for you appropriate garments."

"Gawrsh, Sora, you sure are growing fast," said Goofy.

"Uh, I guess…," said Sora.

"Feng too," said Goofy, and I instinctively covered my newly-discovered chest.

Sora giggled nervously and pulled at his clothes. We went through the door, where we found three fairies; one dressed in red, one in blue, and one in green.

"Me, you guys, Riku, Shadi, and the King. I don't care who this Organization is or what it's planning. With all of us, there's nothing to worry about, right?

"Yeah!" said Donald.

"Well, look who's here, dears! Sora, Feng, Donald, and Goofy!" said the red fairy, Flora.

"Ooh, if you're looking for clothes, you've come to the right place!" said the blue fairy, Merryweather.

"I'll do the designing," said the green fairy, Fauna.

The Fauna pulled Sora away, and Flora pulled me. Fauna turned Sora's clothes green, and Flora turned mine pink.

"Oh, that will never do," said Merryweather, turning Sora's clothes blue. Fauna turned mine green

"Now, now, dears," said Flora, turning Sora's clothes pink.

"Come now," said Merryweather, turning my clothes blue.

"But don't you like this better?" said Fauna, turning Sora's clothes green again.

"No, no," said Flora, turning my clothes pink again. She did the same to Sora.

"Blue is better," Merryweather, turning my clothes blue.

"Are you certain?" said Fauna, changing Sora's clothes back to green.

"Pink matches her skin!" said Flora, turning my clothes back to pink.

"Blue!" said Merryweather, making Sora's clothes blue once again. The feud continued for a bit before Sora got fed up.

"Aww, would you just decide?" said fairies gasped, then giggled slightly.

"All right, then. Together now, dears. And no more squabbling!" said Flora.

When I looked down, my clothes looked great. I still had a vest, only this time it wasn't denim, but something soft. The vest was now white while my tee was black, and my shorts were also white. The shorts were the same length, only now the bottoms were cuffed. I had two large-ish pockets, one on either side of my shorts. I wore the same sneakers, only now the colors were swapped.

"Oh, my!"

"Ooh, they're lovely," said Fauna.

"Oh, yes! He does look very dashing," said Merryweather.

"And she looks quite pretty," said Flora

My Keyblade appeared in my hand, as did Sora's.

"Now, those aren't ordinary garments," said Flora.

"They have very special powers," said Fauna. Flora summoned two glowing orbs that hovered in front of us.

"Take the orbs, dears," said Flora. Sora and I each grabbed an orb, and they disappeared.

"And watch what happens," said Merryweather.

I felt power rush through me. A light flashed, and my clothes changed color. Now they were a dark purple color. I also held two Keyblades now; one was pure white and the other was pure black. It was as if my Keyblade had split into two.

Sora's clothes were red now, and he also had two Keyblades. Donald and Goofy stared at us in awe.

"Whoa!" said Sora.

"I know. This is cool!" I said.

"Wow!" said Donald.

"Two Keyblades!" said Goofy.

"This journey's gonna be twice as difficult as your last," warned Merryweather. Sora and I both sighed.

"Your garments also have other powers-but you will have to discover what they are as you continue on your journey," said Fauna.

"Okay, we'll do our best. And thanks a lot!" said Sora.

"Oh, and there's something else for you-from Master Yen Sid," said Flora.

"Oh boy!" said Donald.

We walked back into the study, where Yen Sid motioned us over to the window. A gummi ship rose into view.

"Hey! It's the Gummi Ship!" said Donald.

"So, you guys ready to go?" asked Sora.

We nodded, then we stood straight before Yen Sid.

"Now, now, just a moment," said Yen Sid, and we relaxed.

"Because of your previous endeavors, the worlds have returned to their original states. That means the pathways between them have disappeared," explained Yen Sid.

"How do we get around?" asked Donald.

"Do not fear. If what the King suspected proves true, the worlds have prepared new pathways along which you may travel. These pathways may be utilized by unlocking special gates. How these gates are opened, I'm afraid I do not know... However, the Keyblade will serve as your guide. When a beam of light radiates from the Keyblade, return to the Gummi Ship. Though the worlds may seem far apart and out of reach, they nonetheless remain connected by invisible ties. As do our hearts."

"Our hearts are connected," said Sora.

"That is correct," said Yen Sid.

"Got it!" said Sora.

"But be warned. As you proceed... The Heartless and the Nobodies will be using their own paths: Corridors of darkness, to travel from world to world. They may be attempting to link these dark pathways to the gates between the worlds," explained Yen Sid.

"Hey! That's not fair!" said Donald.

"Now then, that is all the information I can give to you. Go forth, Sora, Feng, Donald, and Goofy. Everyone is waiting."

"Okay, let's get going!" said Sora.

"We've got a lot to do," I said. "And we need to eat. I'm starving."

The others nodded as their stomachs growled.

"I'm craving cucumber sandwiches," I said.

"I want pretzels," said Sora.

"Master Yen Sid!" said Donald.

"We sure do appreciate the help," said Goofy.

We each gave the Master a salute and ran to get on the ship. It was time for our new adventure to begin.

The three fairies have noticed a strange figure in the window.

"My goodness, what's that!?" said Merryweather. A raven had appeared, holding a tattered robe in his talons.

"Haven't we seen this somewhere before?" asked Merryweather.

"Yes, dear. I wonder whose it was…," said Flora.

"Oh, Malefi-" began Merryweather, cutting herself off before she could finish the name.

"No! We mustn't remember her name! Oh dear…," said Flora.

"She was a mean ol' witch! Oh no! The memories are coming back! What'll we do!? Oooh-what'll we do!?" said Merryweather.

The robe began to rise up off of the ground as the fairies mumbled to one another.

"Perhaps we should tell Master Yen Sid," said Fauna.

"Yes. That's what we must do. Hurry!" said Flora.

As Flora and Fauna left the room, Maleficent rose.

"Maleficent!" cried Merryweather, running off as well. Maleficent laughed evilly.

She was back. And she WOULD have revenge.

A/N: Sorry about another unannounced hiatus, but I had a lot to do. I had midterms, I got sick, and my computer broke. However, I'm ready to double back. That being said, I don't think I'll be adding to this story again for a while. I need to finish BbS Retold first, mainly because this will be a looooooooong story. When BbS R is done, then I'll come back to finish this one. BbS Chapter 2 is almost done as well, and will probably be up sometime tonight. Until then, see ya!


	7. Chapter 7

Organization XIII

Pete looked around the dark tower room.

"Maleficent! Maleficent!" he shouted to the empty room. "Maybe they really did finish her off." Maleficent's raven, Diablo, flew toward the the tower quietly.

"And this castle sure ain't what I expected. No shine, no nothin'," said Pete, not noticing the approaching raven.

"Now what's gonna happen to our plan?"

Diablo swooped onto the ledge, surprising Pete.

"Howdy, guys! How ya doin'?" said Dale when we entered the Gummi Ship.

"It's your favorite Gummi engineers here, ready for duty: Chip…," began Chip.

"...and Dale!" finished Dale.

"Happy flying!" the two said together.

We looked on the Gummi Map, but we only saw one world.

"Only one?" asked Sora.

"Seriously!" I groaned.

"That's no good!" said Donald.

"Wait! I think it's a world we know!" said Goofy. We steered the ship toward the world and landed.

We landed in a busy town. Moogles were flying through the air selling items, and people were hard at work trying to rebuild parts of the town. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and I ran in and gazed at the large castle, which was being augmented by various cranes.

"It's Hollow Bastion!" said Sora.

"Gawrsh, it looks kinda different now," said Goofy.

"Not to me. This is the part of the town where I grew up," I said. "But I've never seen it this nice."

"I hope Leon and the gang are doing okay," said Donald. It was then that Goofy noticed some Soldier Heartless on the roof of a nearby building.

"Uh-oh. Looks like we're gonna have to do some fightin'," said Goofy.

We walked through the Marketplace, and spotted an elderly duck holding some ice cream near a freezer.

"Mr. McDuck!" I said, recognizing the miser. At one point, he had been the town's main merchant.

"Uncle Scrooge!?" said Donald. I wasn't surprised that the two knew each other.

"Er, who?" asked Sora.

"He's Donald's uncle-a business typhoon! Before the Heartless showed up, he traveled the worlds on a Gummi Ship with the King. He was helpin' to set up a traffic system," said Goofy.

"A transit system!" corrected Donald.

"He was the town's greatest merchant. But then he left...," I said.

"What's all the racket?" asked Scrooge. He turned and saw us.

"Why, if it isn't Donald! And Goofy! And the little girl who used to hang around my shop... Feng, I believe. Hello, lads and lass! Aye, you all look hale and hearty!" said Scrooge.

"So do you, Uncle Scrooge," said Donald.

"It's great to see you again," I said.

"Ah, if only I were... I canna seem to recreate my favorite old-time ice cream. I'd make millions if I just got it right...," said Scrooge. He looked at the ice cream bar in his hand, licked it, and looked disgusted.

"Terrible...!" he said.

We make our way to the Borough, where some odd rays of light appeared and disappeared, as if scanning for something.

"Hey, what's going on?"

"That's the town's defense mechanism," said Yuffie, who was on a nearby roof. Next to her stood Terra.

"Yuffie!" Sora said.

"Terra!" I shouted.

The two waved slightly, but then Yuffie pointed behind us.

"Look out!" she shouted.

Sora's Keyblade appeared in his hand as a Dusk swooped in to hit him. I summoned my own Keyblade, knocking it away. We were quickly surrounded by Nobodies.

We fought the Nobodies. They were harder to defeat than the Heartless, mainly because they could easily evade attacks. I decided to use my new form. The form seemed to utilise defense. The two Keyblades floated around me, automatically blocking attacks. We eventually defeated the Dusks, and I reverted to my normal self.

"Hey, you guys!" said Yuffie, hopping down to us with Terra following her.

"It's nice to see you," said Terra.

"I see you're still in top form," said Yuffie.

"What'd you expect?" said Sora, patting his chest. "Looks like you're doing okay."

"Well, what did YOU expect?" said Yuffie.

"How are the others?" asked Donald.

"Great!" said Yuffie.

"Hey, Yuffie! Have you seen the King, Shadi, and Riku?" I asked.

"Nope," she said, walking toward a house. "But I had a feeling I'd see you guys again."

"'We may never meet again, but we'll never forget each other,'" said Sora, imitating Leon.

"Is that supposed to be Leon?" asked Yuffie.

Donald, Goofy, and I laughed.

"Everybody's working on stuff over at Merlin's house. C'mon!" said Terra.

The five of us ran to Merlin's House. Cid was typing at a computer, while Aerith and Leon watched. Then we turned.

"Schoner!" we shouted as we saw our friend.

"Sora, Feng, Donald, Goofy!" said Schoner and Amy. The two ran to us and pulled us into a group hug.

"Meet the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee!" Yuffie said.

"We missed you!" said Aerith.

"Well, if you ain't in top shape," said Cid.

"I knew it," said Leon.

"Knew what?" asked Sora.

"A while back, everyone suddenly remembered you guys, all at the same time," said Leon.

"You...remembered? Wait! Does that mean you forgot about us!?" Sora asked.

"Wow. That's nice after you gave a whole speech about _not_ forgetting each other," I said.

"Thanks!" said Donald, annoyed.

"Where's Tifa?" I asked.

"She's... looking for someone," said Aerith timidly.

"And what about Rachel, and Phil?" said Sora.

"They're working in the Marketplace," said Schoner. "They've really become a handful. Puberty."

"Tell me about it," I said, motioning to my chest. "It's kinda tough to fight with them."

"Too bad Tifa isn't here. She'd know all about that," said Cid, snickering. Terra hit him over the head.

"So where've you guys been all this time?" asked Yuffie.

"We were sleepin'," Goofy said.

"Where? In cold storage?" asked Cid, still rubbing his head. She four of us began to act nervous.

"It doesn't matter. This is great. Everyone's together again!" said Aerith.

"So, um...we're trying to find Riku and Shadi, and the King. Have you seen 'em?" asked Sora. Everyone shook their heads.

"Right," said Sora. I hung my head.

"Sorry. But let us know if there's anything we can do to help. Okay?" said Terra.

"Okay. Thanks," said Sora.

"Really. It's good to have friends," I said.

Cid got in my and Sora's faces.

"Don't go thankin' us just yet," said Cid.

"Hollow Bastion's got a problem. A big problem," said Leon.

"You mean, like Nobodies? And Heartless?" asked Sora.

"That's right!" said Yuffie.

"Sounds like you could use our help," said Sora.

"All we're doing when we destroy them is creating more," said Schoner.

"Then let's cut to the chase. Sora, Donald, Goofy. We were hoping the three of you might give us a hand around here," said Leon.

Sora patted his chest proudly, and I gave a thumbs-up.

"Like we're gonna say no?" said Sora.

"This is my home too, and I'm gonna fix it," I said.

"...I forgot who I'm dealing with," Leon said.

"Hey...what do you mean by that?" asked Donald.

"Just think of it as a sort of 'Leon compliment'," said Aerith.

"Follow me to the bailey-there's something you need to see," said Leon, leaving hurriedly. Merlin suddenly appeared.

"Oh! I thought it was you. Right on time!" said Merlin.

"It's Merlin!" said Donald.

"Sora, Feng, and the gang said they're gonna help out!" said Amy, bouncing on her heels. She reminded me of Yuffie sometimes.

"Splendid! We'll count on you!" said Merlin.

"Right!" the four of us said.

"Ah, yes. Did you give them the cards, dear?" Merlin asked Aerith. She pulled out four cards.

"Here...they're presents for you. Leon thought you might like to have them," she said.

We took the cards, flipping them and reading the back.

"Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee Honorary Member!" read Sora.

"Mine says that I'm an 'important citizen'. What does that mean?" I asked.

"It's just to say that you live here," said Terra.

"Membership cards!" said Donald.

"Kinda cool, huh?" said Goofy. Sora, Donald, and I nodded.

"Hey, thanks, Leahhh...huh?" said Sora, but Leon was long gone.

"Oh no! We're supposed to be at the bailey!" said Sora.

"Just a moment, Sora, Feng. What about your magic?" asked Merlin.

"Huh? Oh, that's right...," said Sora, crossing his arms.

"I don't remember any of it," I said, frowning.

"Maybe you forgot it while you were asleep!" suggested Yuffie.

"Now, what am I to do with you? I suppose I'll have to lend you a few spells. But be careful with them!" said Merlin, tossing us each a Blizzard spell. We absorbed the spells.

"Thanks, Merlin!" said Sora and I.

"To the bailey, and fast!" said Donald.

"I'm gonna come with you guys. For old times sake," said Schoner. We simply nodded and made our way to the bailey.

"Look at that," said Leon when we arrived. He was pointing to a dark castle in the distance. We let out a collective gasp.

"We want to restore Hollow Bastion to what it used to be. Who knows-maybe even something better. There's still a lot to do, but I'm sure we can handle everything-Except...for that...," said Leon, moving his pointing finger from the castle to two running Dusks. "...and that."

"We'll handle 'em!" said Sora.

"It'll be a piece of cake," I said.

"Well, that's good to hear. So Sora-do you know what's going on, then?" asked Leon.

"There's this guy, Pete, who's been going around plotting with the Heartless," said Sora.

"But he's not smart enough to tie his own shoes. The ones we need to worry about are the Nobodies," I said.

"And those Organization XIII guys in charge, too!" said Goofy.

"You called?" said a voice, but we didn't see anyone. Sora and I walked out into the open area, but we still saw no one.

"You're doing well," said the voice.

"Who's that!?" asked Sora. All six of us summoned our weapons.

"This calls for a celebration…," said the voice. Several dusks appeared, and Sora and I chased them through the bailey. The gate to the inside closed, and Sora, Leon, and I had to keep the Nobodies away from the gate.

"The Keyblade...a truly marvelous weapon. Were it only in more...capable hands...," said the voice. We then heard not one, but six laughs.

"Show yourselves!" said Sora. Six hooded figures, similar to the ones Yen Sid showed us, appeared. The central figure raised his arms.

"Organization XIII!" said Goofy.

"Good! Now we can settle this!" said Sora.

"I'm gonna beat you so bad you'll be glad you don't exist!" I said.

"What a shame... And here I thought we could be friends," said the head figure. They all disappeared, laughing.

"Stop!" shouted Donald. He ran to a set of stairs, and a single cloaked man appeared before us.

"What's the big idea!?" asked Donald.

"Oopsy-daisy!" said the hooded man. He wasn't the same one who had spoken before.

"Move!" said Sora.

"Now, do you think that's polite, shutting me down like that?"

"I said get outta the way!"

"As if! You can talk all you want, but that won't change a thing," said the man.

"Then we're gonna MAKE you move!" said Donald.

"See, that would work-if I were just any old dude. 'Cept I'm not. I'm with the Organization. Nothing "any old" about me."

"Ha! Tough talk for someone who stood on the sidelines while his Nobody flunkies did the fighting!" said Sora.

"Oh, dear. I think you got the wrong impression," said the man, waving his finger at Sora.

"You gonna cry?" asked Sora.

"You don't seem to get who you're dealing with," I said.

"As if! Why don't I remind you how tough the crowd you're dealing with really is?"

"Remind us?" said Sora, calming some. The man laughed. Sora and I stared at him fiercely.

"That's RIGHT, they used to give me that same exact look," the hooded man said. "Especially her. Man, she was fiesty.

"I guess you think you can psych me out by saying really random stuff!" said Sora. I just stared at him. Something he said tugged at my thoughts.

"Gee... I just don't know," said the man. He spread his arms as if he were saying "Come at me", but he soon dropped his arms.

"Be good now!" said the man, disappearing as Donald jumped at him.

"Nuts! He got away!" said Donald.

"That was weird. WHO gave him the same look?" said Sora.

"I don't know, but I feel like I should," I said.

"Y'know, I think he was just tryin' to confuse ya," said Goofy.

"Yeah, you're right. Only one me!" said Sora. "And only one Feng too!" Sora wrapped his arm around my shoulder. For some reason, I blushed a little. Sora then took out his membership card again, reading it.

"The Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee Honorary Member-," said Sora. The card began to glow. Sora gasped and let go of it. It floated in the air, and the Keyblades began to glow.

"Huh?" said Sora.

"What's this?" asked Leon.

"Gawrsh, ya think...?" asked Goofy. Light flashed from the Keyblades and the card. Wind blowed through our clothes and hair as a crown symbol appeared on the ground beneath us. The card revealed a Keyhole, and we locked it together, opening a gateway.

"Ohh...now I get it. That must've been the gate Yen Sid talked about," I said.

"Oh boy!" said Donald.

"Sorry to run, Leon, Schoner, but other worlds are calling," said Sora.

Leon nodded. "Organization XIII... They look tough. Be careful out there." he said.

"Come and visit!" said Schoner, waving.

"See ya soon," said Sora.

"Bye. If you see Tifa, say hi for me, okay?" I said. Leon nodded and saluted us.

We were engulfed in light, and we disappeared, returning to the Gummi Ship.

A/N: So, I'm back. I know I said I would finish BbS Retold first, but I wanted to do this. Sorry if it seems like too little for all the time I've been gone, but I've got a lot of things on my plate. I should speed up a bit now, so you can look forward to the end of BbS Retold soon.

Also, if I started another series, what would you like it to be? I've been considering Glee, The Mortal Instruments, Pokemon, Naruto, The Hunger Games, Zelda, or maybe even a crossover. If you guys have anything you want to see, just let me know. See ya.


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